Gambit Esports dissolving CS:GO team, puts players up for trade
Gambit Esports is performing a hard reboot on its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division.
The former major winning organization has outlined its plans to withdraw from CS:GO for the immediate future. Gambit is planning to transfer its remaining players and put together a new team at some point later in 2019.
“Over the past two months we’ve been conducting a series of negotiations, however, a suitable combination of players hasn’t formed to this day. There isn’t a lot of time left until the beginning of a qualification cycle for the Major, therefore we made a decision not to settle on a suboptimal solution,” Gambit executive Konstantin Pikiner said in a
statement. “Our goal is to assemble a competitive line-up until the end of 2019 and to support it to the best of our ability.”
As a result of the move, Gambit is shopping its remaining players Mikhail “Dosia” Stolyarov, Nikolay “mir” Bityukov, Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov, and Rustem “mou” Telepov to other organizations. The move does not impact academy team Gambit Youngsters, who will continue to compete under the Gambit brand.
The news is a sad end to what was once one of CS:GO’s top teams.
The organization entered CS:GO in 2016 and quickly established itself as one of the top squads in the CIS region. Gambit became a steady presence at majors, placing top eight at both ESL One: Cologne 2016 and the ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta before winning PGL Major Krakow in 2017. The organization began having issues with consistency in early 2018, which led to a poor showing at the FACEIT Major: London. Those consistency issues were worsened when roster issues began dogging the team, leading to regular early exits from tournaments.
Though Dosia and Mou were steady presences for the team, other players came and went on an almost weekly basis.
The team failed to qualify for the IEM Katowice Major, which was followed by the releases of Vlаdуslаv “bondik” Nеchуроrchuk and coach Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy in March. The organization hasn’t been able to plug those gaps since, leading to the team’s inactivity and eventual dissolution.
The organization is currently looking to trade away its remaining four players, though some could be assigned to Gambit Youngsters.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
View full profile
Read Also
Counter-Strike
ENVY Returns to Counter-Strike After Five Years, Picking Up an “Unpaid” 3DMAX Roster
Owen Harsono
North American esports organization ENVY has officially made its return to Counter-Strike. After putting its CS:GO division on hold in 2021, the org returns by signing the full former 3DMAX roster, so they aren't starting from scratch. ENVY is not only a massive esports organization, but also a legendary one in Counter-Strike. The org fielded one of the strongest French rosters in history, winning the DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca Major in ...
Valorant
Complexity Gaming shuts down after 23 years – Here’s what we know
Khizar Mundia
Esports organization Complexity Gaming is ending its 23-year run, as its founder announces its shutdown. Complexity is an organization that has been around since the early days of esports. The organization had rosters in multiple games, including Counter-Strike and Valorant. Despite this, Complexity’s CS roster was the most famous, as it won several major events. This is why it was a surprise for fans to hear that Complexity is shutting ...
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality vs FURIA: Predictions and best picks for StarLadder StarSeries 2026
Owen Harsono
We have a clash of titans in the StarLadder StarSeries Fall consolidation final, as Team Vitality will take on FURIA for a grand final spot. Both teams have shown signs of shakiness throughout the event, so expect some scrappy Counter-Strike. Here are our Team Vitality vs FURIA predictions. Tournament: StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 Stage: Playoffs – Lower Bracket Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: These ...
Counter-Strike
MOUZ vs FURIA: Predictions and best picks for StarLadder StarSeries 2026
Owen Harsono
MOUZ are set to take on FURIA in a do-or-die match in the $500,000 StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 lower bracket. Both teams have already suffered losses at the event, but we believe one team is in much better shape than the other. Here are our MOUZ vs FURIA predictions for September 19. Tournament: StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 Stage: Playoffs Game: Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: MOUZ ...
Counter-Strike
StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026: Teams, format, schedule, and prize pool
Owen Harsono
Top-tier Counter-Strike is back on the menu with StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026. It’s not a 16-team tournament with every top team in attendance, but it’s still bound to entertain us for a solid four days. Here’s everything you need to know about StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026. Tier 1 Counter-Strike lands in Spain again for the first time in a while, with only eight teams in attendance. StarLadder StarSeries will be ...
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons at BLAST Open Fall 2026: best predictions and picks
Owen Harsono
We’re in for a treat, as the BLAST Open Fall semi-final will feature a matchup between Team Spirit and Team Falcons, with the winner booking a spot in the grand final. It’s a battle between the world number one and number two, so this is a match you definitely don’t want to miss. Here are our BLAST Open Fall Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: BLAST Open Fall 2026 ...
Counter-Strike
Is CS2 Dying in 2026?
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike is one of the longest-standing esports franchises, having built a loyal fanbase over the course of two decades. However, if you’ve browsed through social media platforms across the past few months, you might have seen people claiming that the game is dying or on a steady decline. Below we’ll take a look at why people are talking about this and answer the question of “is CS2 really dying?” One ...
