HEROIC replaces gr1ks: Alkaren joins from Spirit Academy

<p>Less than a month after his debut, Gleb “<a href="/en/players/gr1ks" target="_self">gr1ks</a>” Gazin has been moved to the bench. His place will temporarily be taken by Alimzhan “<a href="/en/players/alkaren" target="_self">Alkaren</a>” Bitimbai — the AWPer from Spirit Academy, joining on loan with an option to buy.</p><p>The decision follows disappointing results at FISSURE Playground and IEM Cologne. Despite some promising moments, gr1ks didn’t cement his role as main AWPer — and the team opted to act swiftly.</p><p>Alkaren, a recent winner of LanDaLan 2 and a consistent performer in tier-2 CS, will join the main roster but debut only at the Esports World Cup due to BLAST roster lock. In the meantime, HEROIC will field academy AWPer Scr0b.</p><h2>Updated HEROIC roster</h2><ul><li><a href="/en/players/lnz" target="_self">LNZ</a></li><li><a href="/en/players/tn1r" target="_self">tN1R</a></li><li><a href="/en/players/nilo" target="_self">nilo</a></li><li><a href="/en/players/yxngstxr" target="_self">yxngstxr</a></li><li>Alkaren (on loan)</li></ul><p>Coach: TOBIZ<br>Bench: gr1ks,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/xfl0ud" target="_self">xfl0ud</a></p>

Favorites stay strong: results of Day 2 at BLAST Bounty 2025

<p>The second day of the tournament went largely in favor of the top teams, though some matches proved that underdogs can't be underestimated.</p><h2>Virtus.pro 2–0 MIBR</h2><p>Virtus.pro took a clean win, although the second map —&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-overpass" target="_self">Overpass</a>&nbsp;— turned into a hard-fought battle. The first map ended 13:8, while the second stretched into overtime at 22:19.&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/fl1t" target="_self">FL1T</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/electronic" target="_self">electroNic</a>&nbsp;were key players for VP throughout the series.</p><h3>Natus Vincere 2–1 TNL</h3><p>NAVI started with a surprising loss on&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-ancient" target="_self">Ancient</a>&nbsp;(14:16), but came back strong on&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self">Nuke</a>&nbsp;(13:5) and sealed the series on&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self">Mirage</a>&nbsp;(13:9). The team showed resilience and solid adaptation mid-series.</p><h3>Spirit 2–1 Passion UA</h3><p>Team Spirit faced unexpected resistance from Passion UA. After a dominant first map, Spirit dropped the second but regained control and closed it out on the decider. Experience and discipline made the difference.</p><h3>Astralis 2–0 Rare Atom</h3><p>Astralis left no chance for Rare Atom, confidently closing out both maps. The Danish squad looked focused and dominant throughout the match, making no major mistakes.</p>

BLAST Bounty Season 2: Results of the Opening Day

<p>B8 secured a confident 2:0 win over FUT Esports. The team advanced through the opening stage without major problems and looked to be in solid form.</p><p>Team Liquid came out on top against ECSTATIC in a hard-fought series, thanks in large part to&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/twistzz" target="_self">Twistzz</a>. The first map ended 28:26 in favor of Liquid, and they sealed the series with a 13:9 win on the second.</p><p>G2 Esports also claimed a 2:0 victory, although Nemiga put up strong resistance. The second map went to overtime, where G2 managed to close it out.</p><p>FaZe Clan confidently defeated BetBoom Team with a 2:0 scoreline. FaZe left no openings and started the tournament with focused and composed play.</p><p>The favorites opened the tournament with victories, but even the first round showed that this won’t be an easy ride. The fight for bounty is just getting started.</p>

r3salt joins Sangal, completing the new lineup

<p>Team Sangal has officially announced the signing of Evgeny "<a href="/en/players/r3salt" target="_self">r3salt</a>" Frolov, a former 9Pandas player. With this move, the organization finalizes its renewed roster, reuniting r3salt with former Aurora teammates, including IGL&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/norwi" target="_self">Norwi</a>.</p><h2>Transfer details</h2><p>r3salt takes the fifth slot on the roster, joining the new Russian-speaking core. The lineup now includes Norwi,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/clax" target="_self">clax</a>,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/patsi" target="_self">Patsi</a>,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/danistzz" target="_self">danistzz</a>, and r3salt. In the coming weeks, Sangal will compete in several online tournaments to test the new lineup in action.</p><h3>What to expect</h3><p>With familiar faces back under one banner, Sangal aims to reach a new level of performance. The team has already started practicing and plans to participate in multiple events in the second half of 2025. r3salt’s arrival is seen as a key move in strengthening the team structure and boosting its international competitiveness.</p>

Team Spirit are the IEM Cologne 2025 Champions

<p>Team Spirit secured a dominant win at IEM Cologne 2025, sweeping MOUZ 3:0 in the grand final. The Russian squad showcased maturity and composure, adapting well to their opponent’s playstyle and leaving no room for mistakes in the key moments.</p><h2>Final: Spirit vs MOUZ — 3:0</h2><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self">Mirage</a>&nbsp;(MOUZ’s pick): strong start for Spirit — 13:7.</p><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-ancient" target="_self">Ancient</a>&nbsp;(Spirit’s pick): incredible comeback from 5:11 to 13:11, with donk playing a decisive role.</p><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self">Nuke</a>&nbsp;(MOUZ’s pick): Spirit closed the series with a 13:6 win.</p><h3>MVP of the tournament — donk</h3><p>The MVP title of IEM Cologne 2025 goes to&nbsp;<a href="/em/players/donk" target="_self">donk</a>, who consistently delivered top-tier performances throughout the event. His impact on Ancient and overall stability were key to Spirit’s success.</p><h3>Road to the final</h3><p>Spirit defeated NAVI 2:1 in the semifinals, showing resilience and confidence on the decider map. MOUZ, on the other hand, shocked everyone by eliminating tournament favorites Team Vitality 2:0 and ending their impressive win streak.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>IEM Cologne 2025 gave fans a tournament to remember — thrilling comebacks, stellar individual plays, and plenty of surprises. Team Spirit’s victory solidifies their position as one of the leading forces in modern CS2 and boosts their global ranking.</p>

coldzera joins ODDIK – the legend is back in action

<p>It is still unclear what exact role&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/coldzera" target="_self">coldzera</a>&nbsp;will take on in ODDIK. At RED Canids, he briefly played as the AWPer, but in his new team, that role is already held by captain and sniper Adriano "WOOD7" Cerato. This likely means that coldzera will return to his usual rifler position.</p><p>Marcelo had a mixed stint with RED Canids. The team won the CBCS Masters 2024 Finals and participated in ESL Pro League Season 20, but 2025 brought a downturn. RED Canids dropped in both HLTV and VRS rankings and failed to qualify for the BLAST.tv Austin Major.</p><p>Meanwhile, ODDIK showed strong form late in the season — they came close to reaching the playoffs at PGL Astana, secured two runner-up finishes in Thunderpick South America Series events, and claimed victory at the KaBuM! Prime League. Bringing in coldzera is a natural step for a team looking to push forward.</p><h2>Current ODDIK roster</h2><ul><li>Adriano "<a href="/en/players/wood7" target="_self">WOOD7</a>" Cerato</li><li>Fillipe "<a href="/en/players/pancc" target="_self">pancc</a>" Martins</li><li>João "<a href="/en/players/naitte" target="_self">naitte</a>" Maia</li><li>Italo "<a href="/en/players/ksloks" target="_self">ksloks</a>" Meinberg</li><li>Marcelo "coldzera" David</li></ul><p>Coach: Caio "CX1" Coutinho<br>Benched: Victor "togs" Rapassi, João "matios" Guedes</p><p>For coldzera, this is an opportunity to reboot his career with a motivated lineup. As for ODDIK, they gain one of Brazil’s most experienced players — and this move might mark the start of a new chapter for both the player and the team.</p>

Group Stage of IEM Cologne 2025 Concludes

<p>On July 29, the group stage of the prestigious CS2 tournament — IEM Cologne 2025 — came to an end. The final day of play proved decisive: the full playoff bracket is now set, and we also know which teams have ended their run early.</p><h2>Final Day Recap</h2><h3>Group A</h3><p>Team Vitality delivered a flawless performance, winning all their matches — confidently defeating Astralis, G2, and The MongolZ. Star clutcher&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/zywoo" target="_self">ZywOo</a>&nbsp;once again proved his worth, carrying the team and securing a direct spot in the semifinals.</p><p>The MongolZ, led by the aggressive plays of&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/blitz" target="_self">bLitz</a>, earned their playoff ticket after defeating Falcons in the upper bracket semifinal. For this squad, it’s one of the most significant achievements on LAN, and they’ll take the stage at LANXESS Arena with pride.</p><p>The final playoff slot from Group A went to FURIA Esports, who crushed G2 with a 2‑0 scoreline.&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/kscerato" target="_self">KSCERATO</a>&nbsp;shined in the series with precise aim and confident control, helping the Brazilians close out the match and eliminate G2.</p><h3>Group B</h3><p>In the upper bracket final, Team Spirit edged past MOUZ 2‑1, securing direct advancement to the playoffs’ semifinals.</p><p>The last slot from Group B was claimed by Natus Vincere, who dominated FaZe Clan 2‑0. The Ukrainian squad moves forward, while FaZe exit the tournament in the 9–12th place range.</p>

New CS2 Update: Targeted Fixes and Improvements After the Previous Patch

<p>This update aims to improve gameplay stability and eliminate specific issues that could impact both gameplay mechanics and visual elements.</p><h2>Gameplay Changes</h2><p>— Fixed a rare issue where weapons could fire prematurely when quickly switching after reloading.<br>— Resolved a bug where movement key changes were ignored at extremely high FPS during view angle adjustments.<br>— Air-strafing no longer grants higher-than-normal movement speed.<br>— Speculative fix for a rare bug where a dropped bomb could appear in an incorrect location on the map.</p><h3>General Fixes and Adjustments</h3><p>— Improved first-person animations and sound effects, including some glitch fixes.<br>— Nameplate and StatTrak display positions have been reviewed and corrected.<br>— Fixed material and rendering issues with the&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/awp" target="_self">AWP in CS2</a>&nbsp;to restore visual clarity.<br>— Addressed an issue where held weapons appeared stuck to deployed weapons.<br>— CS2 music kits are now correctly restored — they were sometimes replaced with CS:GO kits.<br>— Voting results now correctly show your team’s outcome, not the opposing team’s.</p><h3>Map Changes</h3><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self">Inferno</a><br>— Closed a gap in the first crate on bombsite B that allowed unfair visibility.</p><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-overpass" target="_self">Overpass</a><br>— Fixed overlapping visuals on the staircase near the terrorist-side fountain.</p><p>This compact but crucial update focuses on enhancing in-game comfort and eliminating rare but annoying bugs. The developers continue refining CS2 to make every match feel smoother and more polished.</p>

CS2 Update: New Animations, Reworked Maps, and Improved Audio

<p>A major 2.8 GB patch has been released in CS2. The focus is on a new animation engine, gameplay improvements, and significant map changes.</p><h2>Animations</h2><p>CS2 is transitioning to the AnimGraph2 system. All first-person animations have been overhauled, including shooting, reloading, inspecting&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins" target="_self">CS2 skins</a>, and switching weapons. Chicken animations were also replaced.</p><h3>Gameplay</h3><p>Damage prediction while shooting on the move has been improved.</p><p><a href="/en/heavy" target="_self">CS2 shotguns</a>&nbsp;no longer automatically resume reloading after being interrupted.</p><p>Fixed bugs where players could get stuck on surf map geometry.</p><h3>Audio</h3><p>Fixed a bug affecting individual&nbsp;<a href="/en/players" target="_self">CS2 player</a>&nbsp;voice volume settings.</p><p>Reload and weapon handling sounds have been updated with the new animations.</p><p>Speed-based audio was added to surf maps (can be adjusted via console commands).</p><p>Improved environmental audio for community map creators.</p><h3>Other</h3><p>The community server browser now opens via the Steam Overlay even in fullscreen mode.</p><h2>Map Changes</h2><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-overpass" target="_self">Overpass</a>:<br>Breakable glass added on B-site doors, Heaven fence updated, A-site geometry adjusted, wires restored, textures improved.</p><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self">Train</a>:<br>New cover on A-site, reworked B-site layout, Ivy changes, updated lighting and clipping fixes.</p><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self">Inferno</a>:<br>Church windows above Coffins opened, Church garden path changed, B-site and balcony props updated, curbs on Mid removed, visibility on Banana improved, environmental elements refreshed.</p><p>Valve continues to evolve CS2, bringing improvements that go beyond visuals and directly impact gameplay. From smoother shooting to clearer audio, the difference is noticeable.</p>

S1mple Officially Leaves NaVi — Rumors About Transfer to BC.Game

<p>Oleksandr "<a href="/en/players/s1mple" target="_self">s1mple</a>" Kostyliev, one of the most decorated players in CS:GO history, has officially left Natus Vincere. The organization announced this on their social media, noting they had received several offers which were forwarded to the player for consideration.</p><p>According to OFFSTAGE, s1mple may join the BC.Game CS2 lineup.</p><p>However, there has been no official confirmation from BC.Game or the player himself yet. Previously, s1mple also briefly played for FaZe Clan but did not stay on the roster.</p><p>Stay tuned for updates on where the legendary AWPer will continue his career.</p>

HEROIC replaces gr1ks: Alkaren joins from Spirit Academy

Updated HEROIC roster

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