Sprout bench refrezh, bring back Zyphon

The German esports organization Sprout has reshuffled its CS:GO roster, bringing Rasmus “⁠Zyphon⁠” Nordfoss to the active roster in place of Ismail “⁠refrezh⁠” Ali.

Ismail “⁠refrezh⁠” Ali has been benched from Sprout’s active CS:GO lineup following Sprout’s early exit from CCT Central Europe Malta Finals, where they were eliminated from the Play-in stage with a dismal 0-2 record. With this change, Sprout ended his five-month time with the organization. The 19-year-old joined the team in August 2022 as part of a massive roster overhaul.

The team performed admirably under his direction at the Elisa Masters Espoo 2022 and IEM Rio Major, but in the months that followed, the Danish IGL struggled to manage his new responsibilities as an IGL. The downfall continued as the team took early exits from Early exits from IEM Katowice and the closed qualifier for IEM Rio 2023. The difficulties refrezh encountered in his new role as captain were something he talked openly about at IEM Katowice.

Zyphon returns to Sprout’s active CS:GO roster 

While they continue looking for a capable in-game leader who can improve the team’s synergy and composure, the organization adds Rasmus “Zyphon” Nordfoss to the active roster in place of refrezh. Zyphon joined Sprout in August of last year alongside refrezh. The two went on to dominate the European RMR to help Sprout qualify for the IEM Rio Major, where they ultimately placed 12th to 14th.

The Danish rifler put out a commendable effort while on the team, with a 1.06 rating in the heart of the pack. However, the organization benched Zyphon earlier this month as a result of the team’s dismal performance at IEM Katowice 2023, where they failed to move past the group stage.

Earlier this month, the organization tested Mikkel “Maze” Sparvath, a member of Let us Cook, the Polish CS:GO team put together by seasoned player Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski in January, for the IGL position, but they opted not to continue with the young Danish IGL.

The Blast.tv Paris Major Regional Major Ranking event is planned to begin on April 4, and while Zyphon will work to restore the chemistry with the teammate, the European organization needs to find a new in-game commander before that time. But first, Sprout has to show up at the ESL Challenger League Season 44: Europe, where they’ll clash with Apeks in the lower bracket.

After reshuffling, Sprout CS:GO roster feature:

• Victor “Staehr” Staehr
• Laurențiu “lauNX” Țârlea
• Ismail “refrezh” Ali
• Adrian “XELLOW” Guță
• Danny “BERRY” Krüger (coach)
• Ismail “⁠refrezh⁠” Ali