Team Spirit have announced changes to their CS2 starting lineup after the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. The organization reviewed the second half of the season and decided to adjust the roster.Boris “magixx” Vorobiev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia return to the active lineup. At the same time, Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov and Ivan “zweih” Gogin move to the bench. The changes follow an unstable year for Spirit. The team experimented with multiple roster versions and struggled to build a clear identity late in the season.
Leadership change: magixx becomes Spirit’s new IGL
Сhanges in the Team Spirit CS2 roster
Following the StarLadder Budapest Major and after reviewing the results of the current season, we’ve made a decision to alter our main CS2 roster.
Starting from today, Leonid @chopperis Vishnyakov and Ivan @zweih1437 Gogin are out of the… pic.twitter.com/2HzBrao4F1
— Team Spirit CS2 (@Team__Spirit) December 18, 2025
The roster move also brings a leadership shift. With chopper out of the starting five, magixx takes over as in-game leader. Spirit said they fully trust Boris in the new role. The organization expects him to adapt quickly to the added responsibility.
This decision did not come out of nowhere. Earlier this year, magixx stated that he was open to becoming an IGL. The coaching staff also saw leadership potential in him due to his strong understanding of structure and team play.
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zont1x returns after a break
Alongside magixx, zont1x returns to the lineup after a period on the bench. He previously stepped aside due to personal reasons. Spirit confirmed that zont1x has resolved his off-server issues. He is now ready to return to his usual roles. The team previously looked most balanced with zont1x as a stable system player. His comeback should help restore familiar chemistry within the roster.
Why Spirit changed the roster again
The second half of 2025 brought mixed results for Spirit. The team enjoyed a brief surge after replacing magixx with zweih. During that period, Spirit won IEM Cologne and the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals.
However, consistency quickly became a problem. Further changes, including the addition of Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich in place of zont1x, refreshed the playstyle but failed to deliver long-term stability. At the Budapest Major, Spirit reached the semi-finals. Their loss to Vitality left a sense of missed opportunity, especially after giving up a 12–6 lead on Mirage.
Coach explains why zweih did not stay
Head coach Sergey “hally” Shavaev openly explained the reasoning behind the decision, calling the move involving zweih one of the toughest choices the team had to make:
zweih is a very talented and hard-working player, but right now he naturally gravitates toward different roles than the ones we need. On top of that, he still needs time to mature in order to consistently compete at the elite level.
Spirit emphasized that this decision should not be seen as giving up on the player, but rather as a developmental pause that could benefit his career in the long run.
chopper — end of an era or another pause?
Benching chopper sparked the strongest reaction. He served as the face of Spirit for years and led the team during its most successful era. Under his leadership, Spirit won the Major at the end of 2024, lifted the trophy at IEM Katowice, and claimed several international titles.
This is not the first time Spirit have benched chopper. In 2021, the team moved him to the bench after the Stockholm Major. He later returned and became a key part of a championship lineup once again.
Updated Team Spirit CS2 roster
Active roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich
- Boris “magixx” Vorobiev (IGL)
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia
Coach: Sergey “hally” Shavaev
Benched:
- Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov
- Ivan “zweih” Gogin
Community reaction
The announcement sparked immediate discussion across the CS2 community. Many fans welcomed magixx as IGL, calling the move logical and long overdue. Opinions on zweih were more cautious. Most agreed that he has potential but still needs more top-level experience.
The decision to bench chopper triggered the most emotional response. For many fans, it felt like the end of an era. Even so, a large part of the community agreed that Spirit needed a reset to remain competitive in 2026.
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What’s next for Spirit
Spirit will soon begin preparations for the new season. The team’s first event of 2026 will be BLAST Bounty, which starts on January 12 with the online stage. For Spirit, this move represents more than a simple roster change. The organization resets its structure, installs a new leader, and returns to familiar roles. The goal is clear: rebuild stability and avoid another season of short-lived peaks.
