A Big Shift After Cologne
Right after IEM Cologne, Spirit removed two players and brought in tN1R and Ivan “zweih” Gogin. Many fans were surprised, because the team didn’t crash out early. They were competitive. But data from the event, especially on their T-side and when the round went late, showed something was off. Spirit has never been a team that waits for problems to explode. They fix things early, even if it looksharsh.
A Club Known for Hard Calls
This isn’t the first time Spirit has made such decisions. Toward the end of 2023, they released magixx and patsie right after a playoff run. A few months later, donk and sh1ro arrived and the whole roster looked different. The result was the Shanghai Major title in 2024, where they beat FaZe in the final. Donk was only 17 and still walked away with MVP. It wasn’t luck. Spirit saw that the old roster had limits and they acted before everyone else caught it.
Results Speak for Them
Over the years, Spirit have collected around $4.5 million in CS prize money. They played over 170 official games and stayed above 60% win rate most of the time. The organization moved to Belgrade in 2022 to be closer to top-tier European competition. They won more than 25 trophies and finished in the top three over sixty times—rare numbers outside the huge orgs like NAVI, G2, or FaZe. They train long hours, sometimes seven hours of scrims plus demo review. It’s not a soft environment. They’ve always believed in pressure, review, improvement.
Who They Picked and Why
zweih looked strong inqualifiers with a 1.17 rating, and tN1R has an entry success rate above 50%. These are not just young faces—they’re aggressive and consistent. Spirit clearly wanted more raw damage at the start of rounds, not another “future project” player. Both guys fit the team’s rhythm, especially in quicker attacks where they wanted someone to break space early.Spirit doesn’t often go for passive talent. They want people who will run in first.
Former stafflike Andrey Voronenko have said scrim reviews in Spirit are straight to the point.It’s not about who made the mistake—it’s about the mistake itself. Players get questioned openly during review sessions, including the in-game leader. Donk once said in a post-match talk that playing for Spirit means no easy days. That approach scares people who want comfort. But Spirit have never tried to build comfort; they build results and a mindset that doesn’t accept “good enough.” It’s why these roster moves feel cold from the outside but normal from the inside.
Pressure from the Road Ahead
Spirit won’t get any breathing room. ESL Pro League Season 20 is on the way, and the European RMR for the next Majoris not far off either.Other orgs, like Falcons, MOUZ, Monte and VP, have added new talent too. The race is getting tight. Spirit don’t want to hit that period with a roster that already started slipping. They made changes now so that by the time those tournaments arrive, the new lineup has rhythm and full map pool.
This move doesn’t come from panic. Spirit have always aimed higher than a quarterfinal or top-8 finish. They want to reach finals and lift trophies. If that means removing people who are still “good players,” they will still do it. It’s the same pattern that led them to the Shanghai Major trophy. They didn’t wait for a real downturn back then—and they aren’t waiting now either.
Final View
Spirit’s recent move might look ruthless, but it is consistent with how a serious team stays sharp. They cut before the decline becomes visible to everyone else. They react to signs the public may ignore. As long as donk remains the centerpiece and sh1ro continues to provide balance, the roster they’ve built now could be even more dangerous than before. This could be a gamble—but if it pays off, it won’t be called a gamble at all. It will be called preparation.
Let’s continue to follow CS2 tournament news.