Cloud9 have confirmed the departure of Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov and Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov, with both players set to join BetBoom.
This announcement follows a broader disbanding of the Cloud9 lineup. Kaisar “ICY” Faiznurov has already transferred to Virtus.pro, while Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko is reportedly in advanced discussions with G2.
The departure of Ax1Le and Boombl4 signifies the complete dissolution of the “superteam” that Cloud9 assembled in mid-2023, featuring Denis “electroNic” Sharipov and Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy. Despite high hopes, this lineup struggled to meet expectations, with its most notable results being a top-four finish at the BLAST Fall Final 2023 and a quarterfinal appearance at PGL Major Copenhagen.
In an effort to revitalize their roster, Cloud9 reorganized mid-2024, retaining Ax1Le and Boombl4 while adding HeavyGod and ICY, alongside the return of Timofey “interz” Yakushin. Unfortunately, the team failed to make significant progress in the latter half of the year, falling short in qualifiers for key tournaments. Their most notable appearance was at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, where they exited in the Opening Stage with just a single map victory.
The move to BetBoom represents a significant step for Ax1Le and Boombl4. BetBoom, a team that has remained on the fringes of the global top 20 since entering CS in 2023, recently overhauled their roster by benching Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov and Aleksandr “KaiR0N-” Anashkin after failing to secure a spot at the Perfect World Shanghai Major.
Cloud9’s roster now consists solely of interz and HeavyGod, while BetBoom has finalized their new lineup:
Russia Aleksandr “zorte” Zagodyrenko
Russia Pavel “S1ren” Ogloblin
Russia Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov
Russia Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov
Russia Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov
Coached by Artem “RAiLWAY” Gradovich, with Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov currently benched, BetBoom aims to rise higher in the global rankings.
