Ax1Le and Boombl4 depart Cloud9 for BetBoom

10-1-2025 12:19

BetBoom are set to add a former Major winner and former HLTV top 20 rifler.

Boombl4 and Ax1Le will instantly be BetBoom's highest-profile players

Cloud9 have announced the departures of Sergey "⁠Ax1Le⁠" Rykhtorov and Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov from the team, with the duo set to head to BetBoom.

The news comes in the midst of a complete breakup of the Cloud9 roster, with Kaisar "⁠ICY⁠" Faiznurov already transferred to Virtus.pro and Nikita "⁠HeavyGod⁠" Martynenko strongly linked with G2.

Sources: G2 in talks with Cloud9 over HeavyGod

In parting ways with Ax1Le and Boombl4, Cloud9 are left without a single piece of the superteam roster they constructed mid-way through 2023 with the additions of Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov and Ilya "⁠Perfecto⁠" Zalutskiy.

The aforementioned roster never lived up to expectations, its best results being a top-four finish at BLAST Fall Final 2023 and top-eight at PGL Major Copenhagen. A rebuild around Ax1Le and Boombl4 was conducted mid-way through 2024, with HeavyGod and ICY brought in alongside a returning Timofey "⁠interz⁠" Yakushin.

Cloud9's latest iteration achieved little of note over the back half of 2024, failing to make headway in qualifiers for significant LAN events, however they did make it to Perfect World Shanghai Major, where they exited in the Opening Stage with a single map win to their name.

Ax1Le and Boombl4 represent a significant pair of signings for BetBoom, who have hovered around the top 20 of the world rankings since their entry into CS in 2023. They recently benched original members Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov and Aleksandr "⁠KaiR0N-⁠" Anashkin following a failure to qualify for Perfect World Shanghai Major.

Cloud9 are left with only interz and HeavyGod on the roster, whilst BetBoom are now:

Aleksandr "⁠zorte⁠" Zagodyrenko
Pavel "⁠S1ren⁠" Ogloblin
Kirill "⁠Magnojez⁠" Rodnov
Sergey "⁠Ax1Le⁠" Rykhtorov
Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov

Artem "⁠RAiLWAY⁠" Gradovich (coach)

Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov (benched)

washed

2025-01-10 12:19

4 replies

ALO HLTV BetBoom are set to add a former Major winner and former TWO TIMES HLTV top 5 rifler.

2025-01-10 13:30

3 replies

washed Top 5 rifler you mean

2025-01-10 14:06

2 replies

Ah so he fits in with BIG

2025-01-10 14:49

Maybe he just didnt like the atmosphere, it all went to shit with electronic, just like NaVi, just like VP. I bet he can get in his game with new roster

2025-01-10 15:16

New era

Goats

is this considered upgrade for c9 and downgrade for BB?

2025-01-10 12:20

8 replies

both I guess

2025-01-10 12:36

C9 still has groove, so no upgrades are possible

2025-01-10 12:55

6 replies

Biggest paycheck stealer

2025-01-10 13:28

5 replies

Zonic is way ahead

2025-01-10 15:12

While he hasn't been doing great since leaving vitality, you have to remember this is about 1.5 years out of the last 10. In a project that hasn't exactly found the best pieces. Who are motivated by money rather than sheer desire to win. So can't blame everything on him. He has a very large pedigree. So overall it's a bit off the mark to call him a paycheck stealer. He's a paycheck *collector* (good on him, it's his right) and he hasn't delivered yet but I'm far from sure it's all on him. Big minus for the boros videos, idk to what degree he was involved in that decision.

2025-01-10 15:49

He had a tantrum on stream yellling at boros. Not a good look for a “professional” goat coach. Then he said he would give people a chance to prove themselves and then immediately benched boros. Said he wouldn’t fire snappi until he got him the promised good pieces and then benched him anyway. Then comes out and says the roster has known their dead since spring. He’s lied about everything and objectively ruined an ence roster that was a top 5 team a year earlier. If your the goat coach you should be able to do something with that roster and all he did was whine the whole year

2025-01-10 17:02

I didn't say anything that contradicts what you are saying and wholeheartedly agree with your comments. I did bring up Boros video incident. Absolutely Zonic hasn't behaved or performed according to expectations in the last year. I wouldn't excuse him. But I was playing devil's advocate here. First there's a possibility that he deserves a bit of leeway - perhaps he was stuck in a shit show that was far below his expectations and what was promised, got frustrated at it and lashed out - not Professionally - but proportionately. Aka maybe some people deserved slaps in the back of thejr heads. Old school "toxic yell at people coaching" isn't woke but it certainly still exists in professional sports and still finds success at times (I prefer data based robotic cold management styles but both coexist). Overall my point was that even though I agree he had a shit year and poor track record with falcons, along with recent slip-ups and unprofessional moments, the sheer size of his pedigree might still justify his paycheck. Hence my disagreement with paycheck stealer name. 1-2 more years of that, especially if he is given the right tools to work with, then sure.

2025-01-10 17:19

1 reply

Yea that’s fair. He certainly has earned himself a chance with this Niko roster. If it still goes terribly then he needs to go of course. I also think it’s rather telling that Simple wants nothing to do with playing with Niko even though he’s not getting other offers. There’s something in management that he just can’t live with and that’s concerning imo

2025-01-11 00:50

Big upgrade for Betboom, they might finally become a serious team

2025-01-10 12:21

if ax1le remembers that he can be a top5 rifler

he can just be a top 20 rifler tbh its still an upgrade over kairon who's ass

2025-01-10 12:37

who in today top 5 can axile be better? Today aimers became so strong ! Donk,Niko, Bit, Flamez, JL, xantares, elige, insani,frozen....

2025-01-10 15:59

Don’t worry, as soon as he leaves burgerland and gets healthy again he‘s back!

2025-01-11 13:06

potential for a top 20 team

9 replies

boom4 and ax1le are not good enough to compete at top 20 level. They are good enough to be among the top teams in Tier 2, however.

2025-01-10 14:00

Well, top of T2 is somewhere around Top 15-20

2025-01-10 14:09

I think he misinterpreted that statement; still can be a T2 team but he doesn't think Axile and boom are top 20 players. I could be wrong and he may think tier 2 is rank 21+ but that would be ridiculous

2025-01-10 15:28

That is a dumb assumption

2025-01-10 15:18

Not an assumption - a prediction. It is based on the fact that Ax1le stats and output in 2024 are comparable to KaiR0N. Ax1le is not good enough to offer serious competition at top 20 level. Kairon v Ax1le in 2024: Stat -----------------------------------KaiR0N- ---------------------------------------- Ax1Le Rating 2.0 ---------------------------1.09 ---------------------------------------1.09 Kills per Round (KPR) --------------0.72 ---------------------------------------0.71 Deaths per Round (DPR) -------0.71 ---------------------------------------0.68 Damage per Round (DPR) -------79.0 ---------------------------------------80.2 Rounds with a Multi-Kill --------17.9% ---------------------------------------17.9% Rounds with a Kill ---------------48.6% ---------------------------------------48.6% KAST --------------------------------70.6% ----------------------------------------------70.6%

2025-01-10 15:44

ax1le is a two time top 5 player and his peaks has been way higher than kar0n

2025-01-10 15:55

absolutely! But he is not able to perform at that covid post-covid 2022 level again. The game has changed, and there is so much more competition. He can get destroyed by Sangal ro metizport now. Cannot keep living on his laurels and past - just seeing his gameplay and results in 2023-24, he is not good enough to provide serious competition at top 20 level.

2025-01-11 09:59

Bro boombla and axile made 1/4 of Copenhagen major without awp And made to to Shanghai major as well If they lock in they can cook especially with Magno

2025-01-10 17:06

bro will see - I don't know. I feel like they get tilted quick and I feel like Mongolz, Lynn Vision, 3dmax, paiN , Furia, EFand teams like m80 and big can fuck them up , I don't see it working. I wish them both well and success tho

2025-01-11 10:01

call me delusional but i can see this working

When will people start calling out groove? that man has done nothing for so long no matter the team they had. How is he still getting away with it?

11 replies

There's this article on HLTV where Jack talks about buying Gambit. He did it because of groove first and foremost. Groove is not leaving unless he becomes part of C9 management

2025-01-10 12:26

10 replies

jack deserves to be fired

2025-01-10 12:29

You have to know when to cut ur loses tho. He has done nothing but bad decisions and bad managing of the team. He made his star awper bench himself.

2025-01-10 12:58

Think about it not as results, but as money. Gambit roster is 1mil. Sh1ro alone covered that. Elec + Perf: -2mil. Elec alone +1.5mil. And then nafanny, interz to TSM, buster and Hobbit to 1win, Boom and Ax1le to BB, HeavyGod to G2, Icy to VP. And sticker money, twice.

2025-01-10 13:11

7 replies

Salary.

2025-01-10 13:31

You people act like orgs get prize money to cover expenses, I swear to god. It's mostly players that get prize money. Salary is covered by, in this case, BC Game at least, a crypto-fucking-casino. And who knows what other sponsors org like C9 gets (at least RedBull on their shoulder) And buyouts they got covered plenty by those sellings, and again, stickers. C9 made money, deal with it. Even if you wanted them to be on top, they wanted those green presidents in bank account.

2025-01-10 13:43

Sad part is they could have been top 1 all they needed to do was deny electrodog IGL

2025-01-10 15:21

Then he simply wouldn't join, and then who knows if Perfecto would have as well. And then NaVi also have noone to sell them to, as business with russian orgs is a big no-no at the time (and for them specifically probably still is)

2025-01-10 16:04

I dont mind he joined i loved the move, i hated they didnt bench hobbit instead and let nafany lead, so atleast for some time perfecto (my boy) and dogatronic could alteast see how they play and see the system that worked for them

2025-01-10 16:20

Nafany is a worse igl than elec

2025-01-11 04:14

Yea but his style worked way better and about electronic i havent seen his qualities sorry, he could have been star rifler instead he deleted his stats like yekindar

2025-01-11 13:08

This Betboom team > electronic lead VP

2025-01-10 12:22

so 2nd best russian team

Agreed, i hate eletronic igl, at this point im a massive hater, he ruined 3 teams now

Top-15 team in 2025

2025-01-10 12:23

Really good signing for BB. Boombl4 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ax1le

nice

2025-01-10 12:25

poor nafany boombl4 ate it again

not boombl4s fault nafany cant igl or shoot back

2025-01-10 12:35

Top 15 team at least, very promising moves

Solid BB Datcha not-last-place contender

2025-01-10 12:31

very decent team ngl, im liking it, could definitely be better than VP which has like 4 entry fraggers 💀

2025-01-10 12:32

Ax1le not only former top 20 player but you really unappreciate him for not mention he was TOP 5 back-to-back player.

2025-01-10 12:33

the disrespect.... if he was from western europe and spoke english people would be calling him a top 5 rifler in the modern era

2025-01-10 12:40

sure if he wasn't russian he can play in top eu team...anyway he was the best rifler in 2022

2025-01-10 13:04

BETBOOMBL4 TEAM

2025-01-10 12:34

no groove... will axile prosper? i hope yes!

+ strong awper and gud team

Spirit VP Betboom 9panda very nice

Ax1le w move

2025-01-10 12:38

HLTV, where is the news about 9 Pandas?????

2025-01-10 12:53

What is new

2025-01-10 13:40

Alv and for some reason Krad

2025-01-10 13:52

Enexpected

2025-01-10 13:01

lol this c9 management needs to be studied

2025-01-10 13:05

Just burn it from all the history books. Don‘t study it. Pls

Big boom is nafany nightmare

2025-01-10 13:10

Add kyosuke and this will be top 10 team.

2025-01-10 13:15

I hope they never qualify for a major (same goes for 1win and anyother betting site team).

2025-01-10 13:20

G2 is sponsored by skinrave

2025-01-10 14:05

every team is sponsored by a betting/gambling site, my problem is with having stickers in game that are just an ad for a gambling site

By the year 2022 they would be top-5 team

2025-01-10 13:34

This is more interesting than c9 was actually but we’ll see

2025-01-10 13:37

what's the next step for c9 now? maybe build a new roster with CIS & EU mix

2025-01-11 13:42

very good for betboom but bad for c9. the team was looking good

2025-01-10 13:42

So C9 is officially over?

yeah, there is only interz left, heavygod is supposed to join g2

2025-01-10 13:45

Good luck to them

2025-01-10 13:44

rebuild around interz?

more chances to rebuild g2 around nexa

2025-01-11 06:36

banger trio + boom calling welp interz back to hibernation

2025-01-10 13:46

+Kane as coach and they are cooking

2025-01-10 13:51

Im not gonna lie i actually have top10 expectations from this roster big W imo

2025-01-10 14:03

I have big expectations for this roster. Boombla now has everything he will possibly need: experienced sniper, three young guns and an actually good trainer (not groove). Top 15 team for sure, maybe higher if guys will get good chemistry

2025-01-10 14:26

Boombl4 > Nafany

2025-01-10 14:33

BetBoom second best russian team inc?

2025-01-10 14:35

betboom>VP

2025-01-10 14:41

Hope Sergey can resurrect

2025-01-10 14:51

ax1le deserved better

2025-01-10 15:00

Will be interesting whos calling now. Still boombla or mayonezzz

2025-01-10 15:04

Unexpected.

2025-01-10 15:34

Finally interz has an opportunity to show himself as an IGL and a main riffler, all right.

2025-01-10 16:29

betboombl4

2025-01-10 16:36

save interz

2025-01-10 17:25

Finally, betboombl4

2025-01-10 17:50

Cloud9 should get rid of groove and start again.

2025-01-10 19:19

Upgrade for betboom atleast

2025-01-10 22:08

This is actually a sneaky good team possibly. Magno is going to get a boost with them around I bet, and if he improves and axile recovers form then we're talkin Cinderella at the Ball.

2025-01-11 09:34