Spirit are the first top CS2 team to make roster changes in this offseason, removing their IGL Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov and Ivan “zweih” Gogin in favor of Boris “magixx” Vorobiev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia.
The pair returns to Spirit’s active roster after sitting out the last couple of months on the bench. Following the changes, the team looks very similar to the Shanghai Major-winning roster, except for Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich.
Additionally, magixx will move into a new role upon his return to the team, as he will take over the in-game leading duties from the removed chopper.
zweih is out after six months on the roster. Credit: © StarLadder
Coming into the second season of 2025, fans were excited for zweih’s addition to Spirit. The young rifler impressed throughout his time in Nemiga, where he was the main carry.
Most people took notice of the Russian at the BLAST Austin Major, where he performed exceptionally well in the first two stages. Spirit took notice as well and brought him in in place of magixx, ahead of the second season of the year.
While he struggled individually on his debut, Spirit came together as a team and managed to claim the coveted IEM Cologne 2025 title. They even followed that up with another event victory at BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 Finals.
Unfortunately, this level of success couldn’t be replicated throughout the remainder of his Spirit journey. Losing in the semis of the StarLadder Budapest Major was the only top-four placing they achieved later in the year.
Zweih’s individual performances continued to be rather poor, but the team results were disappointing as well. Not being a trophy contender for the last couple of months was the nail in the coffin for both zweih and especially chopper.
chopper Spirit IGL no more. Credit: © Team Spirit
Bar a short three-month spell on the bench in late 2021 and early 2022, chopper has been Spirit’s in-game leader for nearly seven years. His name is practically synonymous with the Russian squad.
Although it seems this will be the end of his journey with the team, his tenure as Spirit’s IGL was extremely successful, all things considered. chopper led his comrades to nine big event titles, including IEM Katowice 2024, IEM Cologne 2025, and, of course, the PGL Shanghai Major 2024.
Unless he’s in contract jail, it will only be a matter of time until chopper is leading another promising project, with young up-and-comers from his region. It will be interesting to follow if his strategies still work without a mega carry like Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, one of the best CS2 players, within his ranks.
Can the new Spirit get back to winning ways? Credit: © StarLadder
Now, Spirit have an incredibly skilled, firepower-focused lineup heading into 2026. While magixx might take time getting used to his new role as an in-game leader, he has already shown how much he brings to the team.
He’s a big game player, ready to sacrifice himself for the better of the team and always there to lift the mood. As for zont1x, he is still an extremely solid and reliable anchor, who you can always leave alone on a site and trust him to deliver.
All in all, there’s no reason not to be excited for the new-look Spirit in 2026.
After the changes, Spirit’s roster is as follows:
Feature image credit: © Team Spirit
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
