Roster Changes for Team Spirit

Team Spirit recently made some unexpected changes to its roster. Boris “magixx” Vorobyev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia have been reinstated in the starting lineup, replacing Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov and Ivan “zweih” Gogin who have been relegated to the bench. This is a significant change by the organization, considering magixx was earlier benched despite the team’s victory at the Shanghai Major with him. This decision follows Team Spirit’s disappointing outcome at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.

Details of the Roster Change

The changes made by Team Spirit to its lineup are detailed as follows:

• Ivan “zweih” Gogin, a member since July 2025, and the long-time IGL Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov, a part of the team since early 2022, have been benched.
• Boris “magixx” Vorobyev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia, both of whom were benched earlier in 2025, have returned to the starting five.
• magixx has now taken over as the team captain, a role previously assumed by chopper.

Reasons for the Roster Changes

The changes to the roster are a result of the team’s disappointing performance at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, which prompted a lineup revision. Head coach Sergey “hally” Shavayev mentioned that while zweih is talented, he needs more development and tends to undertake different in-game roles which aren’t currently required by Spirit at the tier-one level. Regarding magixx and zont1x’s comeback, hally noted that they are “old acquaintances” of the team and he has confidence in their potential to lead and play with renewed strength, respectively.

Previous Rumors and Timeline of Events

It was noted in insider reports, a day prior to the official announcement, that Spirit intended to exclude chopper and zweih from the main roster heading into the 2026 season, with the mention of chopper being a long-time symbolic captain of the team. In July 2025, Spirit had benched magixx and recruited zweih from Nemiga Gaming. Later in September, zont1x was benched in favour of bringing in tN1R from Heroic. The recent lineup modification seems like a reversal of the 2025 changes, reinstating the former core of sh1ro, donk, magixx, and zont1x, which previously secured titles such as the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025.

Upcoming Events for the New Lineup

The revised lineup will first compete in the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier. This online event, to be held between January 13–18, will see 32 teams vying for 8 LAN spots.