BetBoom, a Russian esports organization has benched Sergey “Ax1le” Rykhtorov after joining the team at the start of the year.
Together with benching, the organization has signed Artem “ArtFr0st” Kharitonov and Daniil “d1Lenez” Kustov to complete the starting line-up.
ArtFr0st appeared as a stand-in during FISSURE Playground 1. The team secured a top-four finish and won $35,000 (£26,086) in prize money. Following that performance, ArtFr0st is joining the team permanently. He replaces Aleksandr “zorte” Zagodyrenko, who was moved to the bench at the beginning of July.
D1Ledez hasn’t competed in Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 since April. The Russian team 9 Pandas benched its entire roster after failing to qualify for the BLAST.tv Austin Major through the European MRQ.
BetBoom now holds four players on its inactive roster as a result of the changes. Aside from Ax1le and zorte, Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov and Aleksandr “KaiR0N-” Anashkin are also on the bench.
The form of Ax1le has diminished in past months after establishing himself as one of the best players of the world in 2021 and 2022. This prompts BetBoom to create a change and build on its semi-final appearance at FISSURE Playground 1.
Fans won’t have to wait long to see the new-look BetBoom side in action. The team will compete in CCT Season 3 European Series #4 starting on July 29.
Attention now shifts to BLAST Bounty Season 2 this August. The team is one of 32 competing in the online phase of the tournament. The top eight from the online phase qualify for the LAN finals, taking place in Malta.
BetBoom sits just outside the top 32, currently ranked 35th in the VRS or Valve Regional Standings. Solid performances in upcoming tournaments could see the team climb into the Major qualification spots as focus starts to turn towards the Budapest Major.
