Fnatic will play with Mykyta “jackasmo” Skyba instead of Cai “CYPHER” Watson during the upcoming CS Asia Championships 2025, which kick off on October 14. The announcement comes mere days after CYPHER helped Fnatic to qualify for the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 via their title run in Fragadelphia Blocktober.
The news shocked the CS2 community, not only because CYPHER hasn’t played in a Major since BLAST.tv Paris in 2023, but also because the British entry got the most frags (91) against 9INE in the grand finals of Fragadelphia Blocktober.
Many fans believe it’s unfair that Fnatic is cutting CYPHER, even though they thought jackasmo earned a roster spot after standing in for legend Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson during Fragadelphia Blocktober.
For now, it remains unclear if jackasmo will attend the StarLadder Budapest Major instead of CYPHER, but the organization did cite that jackasmo is staying until the end of the year.
Ahead of our opening match at the CS Asia Championship against paiN Gaming next week, jackasmo joins the roster on loan until the end of the season, stepping in for CYPHER for the duration of the tournament.
We were impressed by jackasmo’s impact during our winning run at Frag Blocktober, and we’re excited to see that momentum carry forward as the team heads into its first tier-one LAN of the season in Shanghai.
So, Fnatic is attending the CS Asia Championships with jackasmo, KRIMZ, Benjamin “blameF” Bremer, Rodyon “fear” Smyk, and Dmytro “jambo” Semera.
Out of the bat, it’s pretty clear that someone will have to inherit CYPHER’s entry roles. The Brit is one of the most fearless players in the CS2 scene, as he’s not afraid to hold W, go first, and wide-swing enemies to create space for the rest of Fnatic.
Jackasmo isn’t a selfless entry like CYPHER, so this means that fear should be the main sacrificial lamb for the team. BlameF could chime in on that department as well, but he’s way too mechanically gifted to sacrifice himself for the other players rather than staying alive for 3v3s, 2v2s, or clutch scenarios.
Additionally, with the addition of jackasmo, Fnatic effectively becomes a Ukrainian team. They now have three Ukrainian players in him, fear, and jambo, who had already played together under the Passion UA organization.
While the team will still communicate in English for the foreseeable future, the addition of jackasmo opens an interesting pathway for Fnatic in the future. The organization could prioritize players from the CIS region going forward.
For now, it will be interesting to see how having a Ukrainian core will change the dynamics of the team. Fnatic will play paiN Gaming on their CS Asia Championships 2025 debut on October 14.
Feature image credit: © BLAST
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