Cloud9 removes sh1ro from the active roster

How did this happen? Sh1ro finished 2022 as the 3^rd best player in Counter-Strike and was regarded as an exceptionally talented individual who had a lot to offer to any team. But in 2023, he simply wasn’t the same man who won that award.

More recently, at IEM Sydney, C9 only managed to score one win, against the outsiders from Lynn Vision Gaming, and lost against Fnatic and Complexity, two teams that aren’t even close to being among the world’s best five.

With this performance (9^th – 12^th place), doubled by the poor result obtained at ESL Pro League S18 (21^st – 28^th place), Cloud9 decided to change something. Obviously, sh1ro’s lack of form and presumably high pay made him a target. If C9 manages to sell him to a European organization, it will likely recover some of its losses.

But who could want a player like sh1ro? Or rather, who would have enough confidence in his ability to start playing again like last year?

It’s a terrible day for rain pic.twitter.com/LOnjdmCgaA

— Cloud9 CS (@C9CSGO) October 26, 2023

Which CS2 org will sh1ro join next

No doubt, there are plenty of teams who could benefit from his talents, but it’s one thing to need a strong player and it’s another thing to be willing to buy such a player.  Team Falcons comes to mind, simply because they’ve been acquired by Saudi Arabia and have plenty of money to spend.

Another team that lost a superstar recently is Natus Vincere. But it’s doubtful that the Ukrainian organization will choose to sign a Russian player at this time. Plus they’re already in talks with w0nderful from Sprout.

Sh1ro is likely heading back to Europe, and perhaps even Western Europe. His recent lack of form might be a consequence of being too far away from home and family. But it may have been caused by other things too. If it’s not related to being isolated, there are a few teams in North America that might want him.

Otherwise, European clubs could soon be in talks with him. Heroic, for instance, just lost three of its five players. That’s a complete disaster for the club because they invested a lot of money in forging the roster led by cadiaN. With both him and two other members gone, high-level replacements must be found and quickly.

As an organization, Heroic would be perfect for sh1ro. He’s relatively close to home in Denmark and the name Heroic is held in high regard by CS2 fans because of their 2022 results.

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