Cloud9’s star CS:GO rifler Ax1Le has secured a visa in time for the IEM Cologne 2023 playoffs and therefore will replace last-minute substitute Timur “buster” Tulepov in the quarterfinal series against Vitality on Aug. 4, the organization announced on Aug. 2.
This is huge news for C9 and for the community as a whole since many fans have wanted to watch C9 debut its new lineup featuring former NAVI stars electroNic and Perfecto at the prestigious IEM Cologne. The Russian team had to field buster during the group stage and made the playoffs after losing to Fnatic in the opening series and earning victories against 9INE, Monte, and GamerLegion in the lower bracket subsequently.
C9 already looked solid during the group stage despite the absence of Ax1Le, who was named the fourth best CS:GO player in the world in 2022 by HLTV, and fans can’t wait to see how they’ll play with the superstar finally on board.
Buster was understandably the lowest-rated C9 player throughout the IEM Cologne group stage—0.85 rating across 11 maps, according to HLTV—as he had to play on short notice and took on the toughest roles, especially on the CT side.
If everything goes according to plan, C9 will have a big firepower upgrade with Ax1Le instead of buster as the former is averaging a 1.18 rating on LAN in 2023, despite the team’s shaky form in the first part of the competitive calendar.
C9’s head coach Konstantin “groove” Pikiner confirmed throughout the group stage that C9 were playing more like a PUG squad rather than a structured team due to Ax1Le not being there, so we’ll finally get a glimpse of what the Russians prepared during the offseason in the playoffs.
This adds even more hype to what is already one of the best editions of IEM Cologne in CS:GO. The quarterfinal bout between C9 and Vitality will kick off on Aug. 4 at 8:30am CT and will be the first match of the playoffs at the LANXESS Arena.
