SAW has officially confirmed the benching of Ricardo “roman” Oliveira and José “Shr” Gil, marking the end of a significant chapter for the Portuguese team. This move opens the door for the team to adopt a more international lineup, with the signings of former Endpoint players Jan “cej0t” Dyl and Oscar “AZUWU” Bell.

This shift also concludes one of the longest-standing partnerships in Counter-Strike history, as roman and Christopher “MUTiRiS” Fernandes had been teammates for over five years under the SAW banner, even playing together in Giants from September 2018. Roman played a pivotal role in SAW’s rise, helping them become the first Portuguese team to qualify for a Major after years of near-misses. On the other hand, Shr, brought in as a developing player, struggled with role changes, and the team decided to move in a new direction after only two months.

“Today, a chapter closes at SAW,” said the team’s General Manager Bruno “Marinhas” Marinheiro. “We’re transitioning from a national to an international lineup while preserving our core values. This decision was made with the team’s future in mind, giving us access to a broader talent pool.”

Marinhas expressed the emotional weight of this decision, especially regarding roman, who had been a cornerstone of the team. “Roman has been a key part of SAW since day one, and his departure is one of the hardest moments for me personally,” he added. “As for Shr, we believe in his potential, but we’ve decided to take a different approach with the new international players. We hope cej0t and AZUWU will bring fresh energy and new opportunities for the future.”

Following SAW’s playoff performance at PGL Cluj-Napoca, despite knowing that changes were on the horizon, AZUWU and cej0t are now set to join the roster.

Both players come from Endpoint, which decided to step back from Counter-Strike due to the changing esports landscape, notably after Valve’s introduction of the VRS invite system and the lack of funding in the UK’s esports scene. The two players have limited experience in top-tier competitions, with much of their playtime spent in second and third-tier online tournaments. Nonetheless, AZUWU posted a 1.10 rating with Endpoint, while 18-year-old cej0t averaged a 1.03 rating during his ten-month tenure with the team, a slight dip from his previous 1.06 rating with Sprout.

SAW’s current lineup is now:

  • Christopher “MUTiRiS” Fernandes (Portugal)
  • João “story” Vieira (Portugal)
  • André “Ag1l” Gil (Portugal)
  • Oscar “AZUWU” Bell (United Kingdom)
  • Jan “cej0t” Dyl (Poland)

With Maikil “Golden” Selim (Sweden) as the coach.
And Ricardo “roman” Oliveira and José “Shr” Gil are now benched.