Team Spirit CS2 confirmed that their rifler, Miroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia, has been benched from the main roster to give way to the signing of Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sept. 8, the Russian CS2 powerhouse said zont1x’s transfer to the inactive role was made due to his own request, a decision that he informed the team management several months ago.
According to the team, zont1x asked to take some time off to solve certain personal issues. “It took us a while to provide him with such an opportunity, avoiding negative consequences for the roster’s stability at the same time. We undoubtedly respect Miroslav’s choice.”
Shortly after this, Team Spirit announced the signing of tN1R. The 24-year-old Belarusian pro is a hot talent from HEROIC, wherein the rising rifler made waves from January to August 2025. The last tournament he played with the Norwegian org was the Esports World Cup, where they shocked Spirit before losing to Aurora for a 5th-8th place finish.
Zont1x was part of Team Spirit’s active roster from June 2023, and after more than two years, he has decided to take some time off. The Russian org praised his contribution to the team, saying: “Throughout all these years, zont1x has made a tremendous contribution to the development of our roster both inside the game and beyond.”
With the Ukrainian professional in the roster, Spirit won multiple titles in 2025, including the BLAST Bounty Fall against The MongolZ, IEM Cologne against MOUZ, PGL Astana against Astralis, and BLAST Bounty Spring against Eternal Fire.
Last year, they won the Perfect World Shanghai Major with a 2-1 final scoreline against the American giants FaZe Clan. They also reigned supreme at IEM Katowice, BLAST Premier Spring Final, and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade.
Team Spirit wishes zont1x to resolve his personal problems, as the 20-year-old pro stated that “I am expected to be back competing this winter.”
Spirit’s revamped roster will be tested at the ESL Pro League Season 22 starting on Sept. 27, with tN1R tasked to provide additional firepower alongside their star rifler Danil “donk” Kryshkovets.
Published: Sep 9, 2025 01:03 am