After the winter roster changes in Team Spirit, the team’s results at the start of 2026 look contradictory. A loss to PARIVISION at BLAST Bounty and a hard-fought victory over Astralis in Kraków made many question the readiness of the updated roster. However, the players themselves view the situation much more deeply than just through match scores.
A familiar lineup, or not quite?
Spirit became one of the few top teams that dared to make changes during the winter. zont1x and magixx returned to the active lineup, while chopper was left out of the starting five. On paper, it looks like a familiar roster with minimal adjustments, but far more serious processes have taken place inside the team.
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“The old roster” only on the surface
After the victory over Astralis at the start of IEM Kraków, Spirit player tN1R explained why the current version of the team should not be perceived as a continuation of the previous one.
From the outside it may seem like this is almost the old roster, with only me being new. But if you look at the roles and the ideas, it is actually a completely new team.
According to him, the key changes concern not the names, but the approach to the game. magixx’s return was accompanied by a move into the in-game leader role, and the style of his calls differs significantly from what the team was used to before.
New roles and a different pace of play
One of the main factors of the rebuild was the change of functions within the roster. magixx took on the IGL role, while zont1x returned to the positions that are more natural for him. This automatically affected the rest of the players as well, including tN1R.
Everyone has a different playstyle now, and magixx’s mid-round calls are also different. We need time to find comfort again and understand exactly how we want to win.
For tN1R himself, these changes mean more freedom on the map. If previously he was forced to play more static roles, now he has the opportunity to move more actively and influence the game from different areas.
A difficult start to the season
The beginning of the year cannot be called ideal for Spirit. The team was eliminated from BLAST Bounty after losing to PARIVISION, and the win over Astralis in Kraków came much harder than fans expected.
At the same time, within the team these results are seen as a natural stage of adaptation. The roster is only beginning the season in a new configuration, and official matches have effectively become a continuation of the process of “fitting together” roles and communication.
An inside look at the team
According to tN1R, the main opponent for Spirit at this stage is the team itself. Until the roster finds stability in its own game, results may remain inconsistent regardless of the level of the opponent.
The hardest opponent for us right now is ourselves.
This approach explains well the calm reaction of the players to a less-than-convincing start. Inside Spirit, they understand that the roster’s potential is significantly higher than the numbers the team is showing at the beginning of the year.
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A change of roles
The current Team Spirit is not a return to the past, but an attempt to build a new identity based on familiar names. Role changes, a new IGL, and a different pace of play require time, and the first tournaments of the season have only highlighted the scale of the rebuild. If the team manages to find balance and comfort in their game, the results could grow significantly in the coming months.
