Team Spirit Make Massive Roster Reshuffle; 2 Superstars Out As Zont1x and Magixx Return

Team Spirit has shared big news for its Counter-Strike 2 fans that no one was expecting. The organisation has decided to make important changes to its main roster after the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.

Long-time in-game leader Leonid “chopper CS2” Vishnyakov and young rifler Ivan “Zweih CS2” Gogin have both been moved to the bench. In their place, familiar faces zont1x and magixx are returning to the starting Counter-Strike 2 lineup.

Why Did Team Spirit Bench Chopper and Zweih?

Throughout the 2025 season, Team Spirit was a strong team, giving good performance in every event. They, however, did not reach the level they expected, so Team Spirit bench Chopper and Zweih. They also mentioned this in their tweet. With players like D0nk and sh1ro, the team often reached the playoffs and stayed competitive at top events.

At the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Spirit even made it to the semi-finals before losing to Vitality, who later won the tournament. After the season ended, Spirit’s management reviewed all the results. They felt the team needed a new approach during matches, especially in mid-round decisions and leadership. That is why they decided to make changes instead of keeping the roster the same.

Team Spirit Roster Reshuffle: Zont1x and Magixx Return

• The roster changes bring back Zont1x CS2, a player known for his calm play and strong defence in matches. He had taken a break earlier due to personal reasons and burnout. His return should help the team stay stable in tough moments.
• Magixx CS2 also returns to the lineup, but with a much bigger role. He is now the new in-game leader, and this is a major responsibility; the team trusts his experience and understanding of Spirit’s system to guide the squad forward.
• However, Team Spirit bench Chopper was not an easy choice, as he had been the heart of Team Spirit since 2022 and had helped lead the team to many significant wins, including their famous Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 title.
• Zweih, who joined the team in mid-2025, was added to boost firepower. While he showed his performance, the team’s results stayed mixed. Spirit now prefers to return to a more familiar setup, which led to Zweih also being benched.

With these moves, Team Spirit enters the next season with a refreshed but familiar lineup, and various other teams are rethinking their Counter-Strike 2 lineups. Team Spirit enters the next season with a refreshed but familiar lineup, and various other teams are rethinking their CS2 lineups.

The new roster includes Magixx as IGL, Zont1x, D0nk, Sh1ro, and one open rifler slot. This gives Spirit some flexibility to test new talent if needed. Spirit wants to return to winning trophies and competing at the very top.