Team Spirit's run to playoffs at StarLadder RMR is miraculous
Four consecutive comebacks in the group stage have landed Team Spirit a spot in the StarLadder CIS RMR playoffs.
As the #1 Regional Major Rankings team in the CIS region, Team Spirit was expected to dominate their group stage on the way to a playoff berth. Spirit’s final scoreline of 4-0 lines up with the prediction, but the team’s group stage run was anything but clean. Team Spirit lost the first map of every single series it played only to come back each time for a victory.
Team Spirit’s first match against Entropiq was exhausting. Quintuple overtime on Nuke eventually ended in Entropiq’s favor. Both teams played more rounds on one map than Gambit and Akuma did in their entire series. Team Spirit flexed their stamina on Dust 2 and Mirage with Boris “magixx” Vorobiev picking up a nice triple to defend the A bomb site.
The next day’s match against K23 felt eerily familiar. Team Spirit rebounded from another overtime loss on map one to dominate on Nuke and Overpass. Spirit’s run-in with Virtus.pro was the first match that never went into overtime. Virtus.pro won solidly on Inferno only for Spirit to snatch their victory away on Dust 2 and Overpass. Spirit’s wide map pool more than paid off at the Starladder CIS RMR.
The final round against 100PingGods went exactly as anticipated. Things looked great for the Kazakhstani team after winning the first map, but Team Spirit once again worked their magic for a clean reverse sweep. That last match gives Team Spirit’s CSGO squad a flawless record going into the playoffs. It’s worth noting that Team Spirit’s map pick came second for all of these match, but pulling off four consecutive comebacks is still quite the achievement.
Who plays for Team Spirit CSGO?
Team Spirit’s current roster looks like this:
- Nikolay “mir” Bityukov
- Abdulkhalik “degster” Gasanov
- Boris “magixx” Vorobiev
- Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov
- Victor “somedieyoung” Orudzhev
somedieyoung has played for Team Spirit for over two years now, making him the team’s bedrock rifler. The original squad fractured after some rough losses in early 2019, but chopper’s patient leadership style has brought the team some consistency.
degster became the ‘s most recent addition in March. The Russian AWPer puts up a solid .71 kills and a remarkably low 0.59 death per round. That second stat is particularly important for an AWPer, whose death usually involves handing a $4,750 gun over to the enemy.
Team Spirit will continue to fight for 8,750 Regional Major Rankings points and $100,000 in the StarLadder CIS RMR. The four finalists are Team Spirit, Natus Vincere, Gambit, and Virtus.pro.
Read Also
Counter-Strike
XSE Pro League 2026 in China: Teams, format and prize pool
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike is back after the IEM Cologne Major, as the XSE Pro League 2026 is the first notable event since then. 16 teams book flights to China to compete in the million-dollar event. Here’s everything you need to know about the XSE Pro League 2026 event. Top-tier Counter-Strike returns to the passionate grounds of China, as the event will take place in the city of Guangzhou. Teams will play in ...
Esports Betting
Will Valve add Cache in the CS2 Premier Season 5 Active Duty map pool?
Wasif Ahmed
Following the highly anticipated return of Cache to Counter-Strike 2 earlier this season, the competitive community has almost started believing that the legendary industrial map would soon make its way into the Active Duty map pool for Premier Season 5. This expectation followed a pattern set by Train, which Valve brought back late last year before quickly pushing it into the main professional tournament rotation. However, in a recent Twitter ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Grand Final: Team Falcons vs FURIA best betting predictions
Owen Harsono
Coming into the IEM Cologne Major, nobody would have expected a grand final series between Team Falcons and FURIA, but here we are. Will NiKo finally win his first Major, or will FalleN win another one before retiring at the end of the year? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Grand Final predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-five Betting tip: Team Falcons ...
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons IEM Cologne Major: betting predictions and picks
Owen Harsono
We’re in for a treat, as Team Spirit will take on Team Falcons for a spot in the IEM Cologne Major grand final. Will NiKo finally get another shot at winning a Major, or will donk and company prevent him from accomplishing his lifelong goal? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-three Betting ...
Counter-Strike
Vitality vs Falcons betting predictions and best picks: IEM Cologne Major 2026
Owen Harsono
We’re treated to a possible grand final matchup here in the quarterfinal of the IEM Cologne Major, with Team Vitality taking on Team Falcons in an elimination match. These are two of the highest-profile teams in the game right now, but only one of them can continue their chase for the trophy. Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Vitality vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs preview: matchups & predictions
Owen Harsono
The top eight teams at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major are set. Most of the favorites easily secured their spots, but we also have promising underdogs sneaking into the bracket. To keep you up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major playoffs. We started with 32 teams and are now only down to eight. After a grueling Stage 3, teams have been seeded into ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Playoffs Pick’Em Predictions
Owen Harsono
It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
