HObbit And Perfecto Bench Themselves From Cloud9

Following the recent departure of electroNic, Major winners Perfecto⁠ and HObbit⁠ Khassenov have also decided to leave the Cloud9 team. This leaves the team down to only two players. 

The North American organization invested millions into Counter-Strike, attempting to build the Russian superteam. However, the Cloud9 roster has only produced failures upon failures, only managing one top-four finish at a big event since the team’s formation. 

Just a week ago, Virtus.Pro picked up Cloud9’s star rifler, electroNic, which turned out to be a surprise, even for Perfecto and the team. The roster attempted a last dance by trying to qualify for the Esports World Cup, where they were upset by Sashi, a Tier 3 team. 

With these recent events, Perfecto and HObbit will also depart from the organization, leaving only Boombl4 and Ax1Le behind. The pair is now available for transfer. 

It was a great pleasure to compete alongside players of your caliber, @HObbitcsgo and @perfectocsgo

We wish you nothing but success in your future endeavors 💙 pic.twitter.com/YprNIe5gGR

— Cloud9 CS (@C9CSGO) April 22, 2024

Previously, there were numerous rumors suggesting that m0nesy could be the missing piece Cloud9 needed, and electroNic opening a vacant position seemed like it was going to be the move. However, with two main players of the roster gone, we are likely seeing the 18-year-old stick with G2 Esports for a while longer. 

HObbit was part of the team during the beginning of Cloud9’s Russian roster, joining in 2022. The team was within the top three teams in the world, but could only win one S-Tier event, IEM Dallas 2022. 

Perfecto joined the team alongside electroNic after leaving s1mple and Natus Vincere. Unfortunately, Perfecto achieved zero results with Cloud9, only managing a top-eight finish at the recent Copenhagen Major. 

Frankly speaking, the two players in the roster are among the lowest performers in the team. Boombl4 gets an exception, as he is burdening the responsibilities of being an in-game leader. He would also have to pick up the AWP sometimes as the team does not have a dedicated AWPer. 

However, Ax1Le is in a really bad position. He was considered the greatest rifler in the world in 2021, but he is only a shadow of his former self. Ax1Le has consistently been at the bottom of the scoreboard in many Cloud9 matches, and will need to step it up soon.

The community thinks the Cloud9 roster is finished, but the organization’s CEO, Jack Etiene, confirmed on Twitter that the team is undergoing a rebuilding process with the two players, and will not be disbanding.

Thank you @HObbitcsgo and @perfectocsgo for your time at Cloud9. We appreciate your dedication and support, and I wish nothing but the best of luck to you both!

For the C9 fans – we are in a full rebuilding process in collaboration with Ax1Le and Boombl4. We won’t be disbanding. https://t.co/A5T3ke1Nsw

— Jack Etienne (@JackEtienne) April 22, 2024

The remains of Cloud9 include:

• Sergey “⁠Ax1Le⁠” Rykhtoro
• Russia Kirill “⁠Boombl4⁠” Mikhailov
• Konstantin “⁠groove⁠” Pikiner (Coach)

After burning millions of dollars already, will Etiene double down and buy out more talent? Or will Cloud9 still find a way to secure m0nesy?

Header: Cloud9