Cloud9 reportedly targeting 2 NAVI stars to complete CS2 roster

Cloud9 is reportedly undergoing a major roster overhaul ahead of the worldwide release of Counter-Strike 2 this summer.

The North American organization is considering the removal of Hobbit and Timur “buster” Tulepov, according to a live stream from CIS insider Aleksey “OverDrive” Biryukov on June 18. On the same day, another CIS insider called Harumi reported on his Telegram that C9 is interested in acquiring the services of NAVI’s star duo electroNic and Perfecto.

The news comes during the summer player break, a period in which tier-one tournaments stop completely. Both teams have not won any significant championships this year.

Should NAVI lose electroNic and Perfecto to C9, the team would be left s1mple, b1t, and young gun Andrij “npl” Kukharsjkyj. However, the latter also seems set to part ways with the Ukrainian organization following a subpar first half of 2023, most notably at the BLAST Paris Major in May.

Related: NAVI’s npl reportedly set to depart CS:GO team as Ukrainian org considers international move

ElectroNic and Perfecto have been a part of NAVI’s best moments in CS:GO. The Russian duo helped the Ukrainian organization win multiple tournaments such as IEM Cologne in July 2021, ESL Pro League season 14 in September 2021, and most notably the PGL Stockholm Major in November 2021. The lineup of electroNic, Perfecto, Boombl4, s1mple, and b1t is widely regarded as one of the best in the history of the game.

Perfecto joined NAVI in January 2020 and is one of the best players in the world when it comes to clutching and electroNic has been a part of NAVI since November 2017. He is one of the best fragging riflers in the professional scene and transitioned to in-game leader in May 2022 following the departure of Boombl4. Since then, electroNic has led NAVI to win just one tournament—the BLAST Premier Spring Final in June 2022.