Team Spirit has confirmed Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia’s departure ahead of ESL Pro League 22, signing tN1R as his replacement.
Despite a strong run in 2025, Team Spirit hasn’t hesitated to make bold roster moves. Earlier this year, the organization benched Boris “magixx” Vorobiev and promoted Ivan “zweih” Gogin after a dip in the former player’s form. The decision paid off quickly, with Spirit lifting trophies at IEM Cologne 2025 and the BLAST Bounty Finals after bringing on zweih. And the roster shuffle may not be over just yet.
After months of rumors around zont1x’s standing in Team Spirit, the organization has confirmed that he’s no longer in the starting roster. In his place, Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich will be picking up rifling duties as his replacement.
Team Spirit did not remove zont1x from its CS2 roster entirely, as the pro player apparently requested to be benched to solve “personal issues.”
Team Spirit’s roster looked well-balanced heading into IEM Chengdu 2025, with Danil “donk” Kryshkovets supplying explosive firepower and zont1x offering stability as a supportive rifler. For most of the year, zont1x has been a reliable performer, though he dipped below a 1.00 rating at the Esports World Cup and BLAST Open London 2025, two rare blemishes in an otherwise steady run.
When rumors first surfaced about zont1x being benched, most fans reacted negatively. However, those rumors were seemingly shut down when Team Spirit’s IEM Chengdu roster poster included zont1x in the lineup. At the time, the roster made sense given its recent strong results, but it now seems Spirit were simply waiting for the right moment to confirm the player’s departure.
According to Team Spirit, zont1x is stepping back to address personal matters. For now it appears that he will stay on the team’s bench rather than explore other offers, with the organization stressing that his return to Spirit is eagerly awaited.
Team Spirit on X
With the move now official, zont1x will most likely not compete at IEM Chengdu. Under ESL’s roster rules, teams can make adjustments until October 20, 2025 as long as they kept their core intact. Spirit appears to have timed the announcement around this deadline, clearing the way to register tN1R ahead of the November event.
tN1R’s resume isn’t nearly as decorated as zont1x, but the pro player has displayed a promising performance at HEROIC, posting a 1.14 average rating. While both players are riflers, their role preferences differ, meaning Spirit will need to adjust positions on certain maps with its new replacement in tow, an unavoidable trade-off as they look to refresh the lineup.
Featured image credit: Team Spirit
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