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Cloud9 replaces interz with buster in CS:GO lineup

What was an open secret has become a reality and completely official. Cloud9 incorporates Timur “buster” Tulepov in place... Eduardo | 18. January 2023

What was an open secret has become a reality and completely official. Cloud9 incorporates Timur “buster” Tulepov in place of Timofey “interz” Yakushin. This is undoubtedly one of the news that was only a matter of time before it was confirmed, as rumors have been running since the beginning of December 2022.

The first change in this lineup since 2020

Now, this will be the first change Cloud9 has made since the signing of Abay “HObbit” Khasenov in August 2020. Since that time, this lineup has remained together throughout. Recall that these players belonged first to Gambit, then to Players, and finally to Cloud9.

Interz played alongside Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov and Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov since April 2019, when Gambit Youngster signed them. Interz, only 22 years old, helped Cloud9 to become one of the best in the world in 2021. They took home the champions trophy at IEM Katowice in February, IEM Summer, and the BLAST Premier Spring Final in June.

However, Interz and Cloud9 had a noticeable drop in performance in 2022, the year the tournaments returned to LAN mode, as they only won IEM Dallas in June. In addition, cloud9 did not participate in many top tournaments all season and performed horribly at the IEM Rio Major and IEM Cologne.

Why such a radical decision?

Interz’s departure from the team is blamed on his poor performance in recent months. The young Russian player had a rating of 0.99, according to HLTV, in the last six months. This was exacerbated in some of the year’s top-level tournaments, such as the IEM Rio Major, where he finished with a 0.90 rating.

Buster is the ideal replacement for Cloud9

Buster, meanwhile, has been on the Outsiders bench since May 2022. He is best known for his anchor ability on sites and, in addition, for winning the BLAST Pro Series Moscow in September 2019. Unfortunately, 2022 was not a desired year for this player, as he played less than 50 official maps and scored 0.95, according to HLTV.

As mentioned, buster, without competing since May 2022, will have to quickly regain his best form, as his debut with the Russian team is just around the corner.

Cloud9 will debut its brand-new signing on January 31 at IEM Katowice, one of the big events of the first half of the year. However, his performance will start from the preliminary phase, in which he can gradually get into the swing of things.

With this, Cloud9’s starting lineup is as follows:

  • Vladislav “Nafany” Gorshkov
  • Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
  • Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov
  • Abai “HObbit” Hasenov
  • Timur “Buster” Tulepov
  • Konstantin “Groove” Pikiner

Header: Cloud9 | buster