Spirit Roster Changes: magixx & zont1x Return, chopper & zweih Benched

Spirit’s roster reshuffle: magixx & zont1x return, chopper & zweih moved to the bench

Dec 23, 2025

Team Spirit is changing its CS2 team right before 2026 begins. Boris “magixx” Vorobiev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia are back in the starting five. Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov and Ivan “zweih” Gogin are moving to the bench, meaning they will not play in official matches for now.

This also affects leadership, since Spirit will have a new in-game captain with chopper out. Keep reading for the full breakdown, the reasons behind the change, and what to expect in Spirit’s first events of 2026.

Roster change breakdown: who’s back, who’s benched, and what roles change

Spirit confirmed on December 18 that Boris “magixx” Vorobiev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia are returning to the active roster. They take the places of Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov and Ivan “zweih” Gogin, who move to the bench and won’t play official matches for now. The coaching staff said that by May it was already clear changes were needed because of psychological problems and physical health issues inside the team.

What changes in the server

With chopper out, magixx becomes the new captain and in-game leader, meaning he calls rounds while still rifling. Coach Sergey “hally” Shavaev said magixx has to learn the role, but has the ability to become one of the best at it. After stepping away in September for personal reasons, zont1x is back; Spirit added Andrii “tN1R” Tatarinov during that period, and hally said zont1x will return to his old positions.

For chopper, this is his second benching since joining Spirit in 2019. He was also put on the transfer list in late 2021, then returned a few months later.

Status	Player	Primary role
Active roster	donk	entry rifler, main space-taker
Active roster	sh1ro	AWPer, late-round closer
Active roster	tN1R	rifler, flexible roles
Active roster	magixx	rifler, new captain and IGL
Active roster	zont1x	rifler, returning to previous positions
Benched	chopper	former captain and IGL
Benched	zweih	rifler, joined in summer 2025

Zweih joined in summer 2025. hally praised his talent and called the decision painful, but said zweih’s preferred roles don’t match what Spirit needs right now, and that he still has room to grow at the top level. It should also simplify roles and calls.

Why Spirit “pulled the trigger”: the team’s late-2025 trajectory and coach hally’s explanation

Spirit actually performed well after the last roster change, even winning big events. Still, coach Sergey “hally” Shavaev said the team had deeper problems, and by May it was already clear changes were needed because of psychological issues and physical health issues. Spirit kept playing top tournaments to test the roster under pressure, then made the decision at the end of the year.

IEM Cologne (Aug 3): Spirit swept MOUZ 3-0 in the final: Mirage 13-7, Ancient 13-11, Nuke 13-6. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets led the series with 62-41 (1.51 K/D) and a 1.60 rating.
BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals (Aug 17): Spirit beat The MongolZ 3-0: Nuke 13-11, Mirage 16-13, Ancient 13-5. donk again topped Spirit at 65-48 (1.35 K/D), and Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov went 60-38 (1.58 K/D).
Budapest Major semi-final (Dec 13): Spirit finished 3-4th after losing to Vitality. Mirage was lost 17-19 after a 12-6 lead, then Dust II ended 8-13. donk led Spirit at 47-40 (1.18 K/D) with a 1.33 rating, while Robin “ropz” Kool earned player of the match at 46-31 (1.48 K/D) and a 1.34 rating. chopper posted 23-39 (0.59 K/D) and zweih 27-44 (0.61 K/D).

Those results show why the decision was tough: trophies were there, but the staff still wanted a healthier setup and clearer roles going into 2026.

What happens next: Spirit’s first matches of 2026 and the short-term expectations

Spirit’s new five is set to debut at BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1. The tournament starts January 12 with a 32-team online stage and ends with the Finals in Malta on January 23-25. The prize pool is $1,150,000, and several top teams declined invites, changing the early bracket dynamics.

Short term, the spotlight is on magixx’s transition to full-time IGL. The simplest blueprint stays intact: donk takes space, sh1ro closes, and the rest keep trades clean. zont1x returning to his previous positions should cut down on hesitation and speed up mid-round decisions, especially on maps where Spirit’s spacing relies on crisp timing.

Expect a few swings early as the calling structure settles. Online matches can reward confidence, but Malta games punish messy mid-rounds. If Spirit looks calmer in tight halves than it did in Budapest, this reshuffle will start paying off quickly.