How the Transfer Period Went in CS2: Evaluating the Biggest Transfers of Summer 2024 (Places 8-5)
Teams are gearing up for the second season of Counter-Strike 2, and some squads have attempted to bolster their rosters during the break. It’s worth noting that most top organizations weren’t active participants in the transfer market, making it challenging for those in need to make truly significant transfers. Let’s break down the team changes and provide a preliminary evaluation of all the moves.
8. Team Liquid
Grade: C-
- Out: cadiaN In: ultimate
- Out: skullz In: jks
- Out: zews In: mithR
The previous lineup lasted just over six months and achieved nothing significant. Missing the Major and underperforming in a few Tier-1 events undoubtedly necessitated changes. The organization started by announcing a new coach from Tier-2 team APEKS, who lacks a track record of success.
We won’t dwell too much on the coach because the biggest issue for the new roster is the loss of their captain. Who will be the new leader? YEKINDAR already had an unsuccessful experience, Twistzz is undoubtedly an experienced player, but his role requires more freedom and focus on aiming. It seems the Canadian will lead the team during matches, which raises concerns. A star player accustomed to carrying the team through individual plays might struggle with the captaincy role, which is entirely different.
As for the new additions, jks is a perfect choice for Liquid. Firstly, this transfer allows the team to continue playing RMR in the American region, and secondly, jks is a fairly experienced player who can perform his roles clearly without hogging the spotlight. However, he hasn’t played competitive CS since October 2023 and didn’t look very confident in CS2 back then. Additionally, the distribution of roles between him and NAF remains uncertain. jks is already 28 years old, so the transfer addresses immediate needs but won’t build a long-term foundation.
The acquisition of a new sniper is even more questionable. European Tier 2-3 organizations often accused ultimate’s former team of match-fixing. It seems PashaBizeps, who was once a streamer in the Liquid structure and mentored the young player, had a hand in this transfer. Such matchmaking rarely ends well, although strange transfers have become a hallmark of the American organization lately. Rainwalker, Patsi, skullz—none of these past bets have paid off, so we’ll see what happens with ultimate.
In summary: no captain, a questionable sniper transfer, one of the best shooters taking on the captain’s role, and an unstable YEKINDAR. We’d be happy to be proven wrong, but for now, the outlook for such an ambitious organization looks weak, hence the C- grade.
7. Monte
Grade: C
- Out: hAdji In: dycha
- Out: Woro2K In: hades
This season hasn’t been the best for Monte. The departure of leader sdy and the return of bro to Astralis had a significant impact on the team. The arrival of hAdji and STYKO forced communication entirely in English and didn’t seem like a major boost.
The Frenchman was immediately shown the door, and one of the best and most stable players, Woro2K, expressed a desire to go inactive—not to sit on the bench, but to leave entirely. This couldn’t have happened without serious conflict within the team.
Monte had to find two new players quickly, and inviting the Polish duo from ENCE seemed like a good, if not desperate, solution. On their peak, these players performed well, but they were benched for reasons. Remember, sdy transferred from Monte to ENCE, suggesting the transfer was done on mutually beneficial terms “through old friendships.” This fact adds doubt about the necessity and lowers the overall impression.
Losing an important asset to free agency is also a significant management misstep, reducing the transfer campaign’s grade. Despite all the nuances, the new lineup isn’t inferior in individual skill to the previous one, so it deserves an average grade.
6. Cloud 9
Grade: C+
- In: ICY, HeavyGod, Interz
- Out: hooch
Another ongoing intrigue that ended recently and unexpectedly.
Firstly, the decision to keep a Russian-speaking roster, though expected, is still quite exotic for an American organization given the incoming names. If the peak of star Gambit players and subsequent Tier-1 transfers seemed logical, this roster is far from those ambitions. Communication difficulties with management, the American fanbase, and other commercial aspects can’t be realized through these players.
Moving to the gameplay, hooch’s departure, who helped assemble this lineup, also looks like a sort of “white flag” and an unwillingness to take responsibility for the results.
The main question remains the interaction between the coach and the captain, as this aspect was considered the main pitfall in the previous roster’s failure. Groove has proven he can work with youth, but this benefit is only relevant for ICY. Interz is a return to basics, just a safe pick, and it’s unlikely a similar rapport will develop with HeavyGod due to his character. In gameplay terms, Interz probably won’t perform better than before, a level that was insufficient, leading to his benching. ICY and HeavyGod are promising players, but likely aren’t ready to meet immediate challenges.
Questions also remain about BoomIb4 and Ax1le’s current form, making it hard to give an optimistic answer. It seems this roster will require a lot of work and we’ll see many Tier 2-3 games, with higher-level performances through the BLAST partnership, but no talk of HLTV top-10. Management fully trusted the players, didn’t risk with an international roster, and perhaps wrongly held on to BoomIb4 and Ax1le.
5. BC.Game
Grade: B-
- Coach: GuardiaN
- In: Lekr0, anarkez, CacaNito, joel, pr1metapz
This tag burst onto the professional scene with a loud announcement of signing the legendary Slovak sniper. GuardiaN had been inactive for about two years and no one expected to see him in such a role. It seems the Slovak’s announcement was the starting point for the organization, and it’s possible that Ladislav was actively involved in forming the roster.
As for the roster itself, market conditions were clearly not the most favorable, and not every player would want to join an unknown tag. Most likely, GuardiaN was signed primarily to gain the trust of future players, given his high authority in the community. This move already deserves high marks for transfer activity, but looking at the final roster, it’s not flawless.
Once young and promising, Lekr0 is already 31, which isn’t what a young organization just starting out wants to acquire. Let’s attribute this transfer to the need for an experienced captain, and with a rating of 1.16, any IGL on the pro scene would envy the Swede. As for the ratings, they are all quite high, and the players have long appeared at the Tier 2-3 level. All the newcomers were among the leaders in their previous teams, and with a full-fledged organization and an experienced coach, they might reach a new level.
The roster looks like a solid Tier-2 team that should fight for a top-30 HLTV spot. Aiming for more right now is challenging, and for a young organization, nurturing their own talent as a business model is more preferable. This fact makes us lower the grade slightly, but the overall impression of entering the industry from scratch is higher than expected.