Summer Transfer Window 2025 in CS2. Is Everything Really That Bad? A Review of Successful Transfers That Are Nothing to Be Ashamed Of.
After the end of BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, everyone was eagerly waiting for the transfer window to begin. Most teams indeed failed the season, and teams split into two types: the top teams that want to catch up to Vitality by any means necessary, and those who need to achieve at least some stability in their performances. Of course, the first category of teams is more interesting for everyone, but the top teams showed incredible passivity and were only able to make one replacement each or make none at all.
Many insiders and analysts called this transfer window the most boring in CS2 history. We partly agree with this opinion, but it’s worth considering that the market has grown very significantly recently (hello, Falcons) and making deals has become increasingly difficult. Well, in this material we suggest focusing on the more or less positive transfers, and we’ll talk about questionable reshuffles a bit later.
Falcons
- Out: Magisk
- In: kyousuke
- Transfer Rating: 9/10
Falcons continue to prove that they didn’t come to the industry just to go through the motions, but to be number one. For this, you need to have the best players in your roster, and what could be better than investing money in the most promising wonderkid at the moment? Obviously, nothing. Therefore, whatever money this transfer cost the Arab sheiks – it was definitely worth it. It’s unlikely that anyone doubts that Maxim will play worse than Emil in his current form, and that alone will be enough for Falcons.
When we made kyousuke’s profile and discussed his future there, we wrote that Falcons should become his priority option because of the NiKo and m0NESY connection. Over time, our assumptions were confirmed – sources close to Team Spirit tell us that everyone tried to convince Maxim to stay: from the CEO to donk, but he chose Falcons specifically. Gaining experience from NiKo and getting adaptation support from m0NESY – these are literally ideal conditions that will bring much more in the long run than huddling on one server with donk.
Don’t expect kyousuke to enter the server now and get his default 30+ frags, carrying the match. Of course, this could well happen since he’s mechanically very strong, but being more stable than Magisk and absorbing tier-1 scene experience is his only task at the moment. Don’t forget that Falcons could already have lifted several trophies without this, so they clearly didn’t lack firepower or anything similar. And again, considering kyousuke’s potential, you might get not just the “missing” puzzle piece, but a real monster who will make it into the HLTV top-10 this year.
This transfer very much reminds us of malbsMd’s transfer to G2 last year. Back then, everyone criticized the Samurais and talked about overlapping roles with NiKo, but the young Guatemalan was simply magnificent. And look at his play after the younger Kovač left? The Bosnian knows how to work with young players – he once helped young m0NESY and we’re sure kyousuke has fallen into the right hands. Speaking of Falcons, the organization is following a path similar to football – where PSG and Manchester City became hegemons after capital injections. Yes, not immediately, but step by step, they built these rosters through personal investments. There are already rumors about b1t joining in 2026 and, honestly, you better start rooting for them now – while they only have one PGL Bucharest 2025 in their trophy cabinet.
Team Spirit
- Out: magixx
- In: zweih
- Transfer Rating: 8/10
Details are already emerging that Boris’s kick was brewing since the beginning of this year, but the Major championship in Shanghai extended the roster’s life by half a year. It’s ironic that they subsequently lost kyousuke, who had long been earmarked for a spot in the main roster (again according to a source close to the club). We can only give respect to the Dragons for not standing in the way of their protégé’s desires and letting him go.
When questions arose about a replacement – zweih was the first candidate for transfer, which we wrote about almost the next day after their quarterfinal loss at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. The young player was supposed to end up in their academy, and now a year later he’s already in the main roster and even with Major experience. For Spirit – this is an excellent transfer, primarily because he came to them practically free due to his expiring contract with Nemiga. And secondly – he’s a young player who hasn’t yet developed habitual patterns, and integrating him into their system will be much easier. For example, in our opinion, this is exactly why they didn’t turn to Perfecto.
What the Dragons have in the end: they shook up an already very strong roster, took a very quality young rifler, and one with experience playing against top teams. On the other hand, he hasn’t had major matches on the big stage and hasn’t yet gone through a full cycle of tier-1 player life with endless flights. But for Spirit’s management – this isn’t a problem. They understand perfectly when to take a break and skip a tournament, and they have specialists who will find an approach to minimize all the downsides.
The only thing is – the Dragons’ problem wasn’t in magixx, unlike Magisk in Falcons for example, and therefore it’s difficult to definitively state that they’re now ready to compete with Vitality. But being on the verge of forced reshuffles, they handled the situation very well with minimal losses.
FURIA
- In: YEKINDAR (contract until 2027)
- Transfer Rating: 10/10
Perhaps this news passed you by, as globally nothing changed and the Latvian player simply signed a full contract with FURIA after the loan. But we consider this event worthy of a “plus” mark. The initial experiment with molodoy exceeded all expectations and it’s good that they decided to extend this project. It’s pleasant to realize that organizations are still capable of analyzing events happening in the club, and in this situation, by refusing YEKINDAR, FURIA could have lost a lot. At minimum, the adaptation of the young sniper from Kazakhstan would have stopped being comfortable, and secondly – Mareks’s ideas and experience perfectly complemented the Brazilian vision of CS.
The team has developed synergies over three months together that definitely require improvement to bring them into proper form. Now the team will focus on exactly this and concentrate on building individual form. This roster is now in a much more advantageous position than half the clubs.
Astralis
- In: HooXi (signing after loan)
- Transfer Rating: 10/10
Another bright loan after a cool performance at PGL Astana 2025. Despite all the rumors about selling the roster and searching for new investments, Astralis managed to sign HooXi to a full contract. There’s hardly any point in commenting on this again, especially considering the organization’s shaky position recently. Making it to a Major won’t be difficult for them now, stickers will bring long-awaited profit, and the new captain will definitely help achieve these goals.
We’re betting that this roster will surprise us and we’ll remember the tournament in Astana more than once, where the gigachad made a loud return to the arena.
Virtus.pro
- Out: FL4MUS
- In: Perfecto
- Transfer Rating: 7/10
Honestly, we were unsure whether to talk about this transfer as a positive change, but considering that Perfecto was a free agent – VP at least lost nothing. Formally, they got a very experienced player who has already achieved success with electroNic and is used to working with him. This is a very positive moment for the Bears, now the question is only in Ilya’s individual form and his motivation to continue working at a high level.
If all the stars align, then this transfer will greatly simplify electroNic’s work, possibly allowing the sniper to act more aggressively, since the anchor position will have one of the best players at this position not so long ago.
