The move, announced by the organization, aims to inject fresh firepower into the team after a string of underwhelming performances, notably their failure to advance past the IEM Katowice Play-in and a disappointing placement at PGL Major Copenhagen.
In a statement on Virtus.pro’s website, electroNic expressed his enthusiasm for joining the esteemed organization, citing their Major-winning pedigree and the readiness of the roster for triumphs.
Welcome electroNic – the new Virtus.��ro player!
Denis "electroNic" Sharipov, a Major champion and four-time HLTV top 10 player, joins the Bears, replacing Nikolay "mir" Bityukov in the lineup. pic.twitter.com/u2tsFjNohf
— Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) April 15, 2024
He particularly highlighted his eagerness to collaborate with Dzhami “Jame” Ali, renowned for his unique in-game leadership.
This strategic roster change positions electroNic to inherit many of mir’s roles within the team, though his playstyle leans towards a more aggressive approach.
With electroNic’s proven track record of dominance, Virtus.pro aims to reignite their competitive edge as they gear up for ESL Pro League Season 19 and beyond.
Meanwhile, electroNic’s departure from Cloud9 opens up opportunities for the North American organization to address their longstanding need for a dedicated AWPer.
Despite initial expectations of dominance following electroNic’s and Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy’s acquisition last year, Cloud9’s performance fell short, culminating in Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov’s self-benching due to role conflicts.
With electroNic’s exit, Cloud9 faces the task of finding a suitable replacement, with speculation swirling around the necessity of Russian fluency due to the team’s primarily Russian composition.
However, Cloud9 remains tight-lipped about their plans for the future as they bid farewell to their departing star player.
Due to the sudden departure of electroNic, Cloud9 has been forced to pull out of the upcoming season of the ESL Pro League, with SAW set to take their place in the event.
#ESLProLeague Season 19 UPDATE:@C9CSGO have withdrawn from ESL Pro League Season 19.
They will be replaced by @sawggofficial who last joined us during Season 17! pic.twitter.com/kCqzmP7RM1
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 15, 2024
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The players will replace Vladislav “?nafany?” Gorshkov and Timur “?buster?” Tulepov, who were taken off the lineup earlier this month. The move ended Nafany’s lengthy stint with Cloud9 and time playing with Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov and Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov. The trio has been together since the Gambit Youngster’s project in 2019.
buster started playing with Cloud9 in January 2023 as a replacement for Timofey “?interz?” Yakushin. Within his six months on the lineup, buster helped the team win the tier-two Brazy Party in May. Cloud9 also reached a second-place finish at the Electronic Sports League Pro League season 17 earlier this year.
electroNic and ?Perfecto? joined Cloud9 following stints in Natus Vincere, where they were a part of the team’s numerous achievements, especially in 2021.
NAVI won several tier-one tournaments that year, including the BLAST Premier Global Final in January 2021, Electronic Sports League Pro League season 14, Intel Extreme Masters Cologne in July 2021, and the Intel Grand Slam in September 2021. The lineup were also behind NAVI’s victory in the Professional Gamers League Stockholm Major in November that year.
The Ukrainian roster saw fewer achievements in 2022 and 2023. They faced some difficulties due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as well as Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov’s departure from the lineup a few months later.
?electroNic? was made the team captain in June 2022 and successfully helped NAVI win the BLAST Premier Spring Final within the first few weeks of the move. His individual statistics dropped slightly after assuming his new role; however, he was able to reach an impressive 1.11 rating in 2023.
The IGL and perfecto were taken off the lineup during the offseason when NAVI announced their intention to field an international roster. Following their exit, the team signed Aleksi “?Aleksib?” Virolainen, Mihai “?iM?” Ivan, and Justinas “?jL?” Lekavicius.
electroNic will take over the leadership role from nafany. Cloud9 fans can expect more from the team’s new lineup as the player will lead top gamers like Sergey “?Ax1Le?” Rykhtorov and Dmitry “?sh1ro?” Sokolov. Both CS:GO players were ranked the third and fourth best in the world in 2022.
perfecto, on his end, joins Cloud9 in a support role as a replacement for buster. The player took on different positions during his time with NAVI to accommodate the team dynamics. He leaves the organization with an impressive 1.02 rating throughout 2023 despite the many issues that plagued NAVI in the past months.
The updated team will make their debut at the IEM Cologne, slated for July 25 to August 6.
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