Sergey "Ax1Le" Rykhtorov returns to Cloud9

According to a statement from Cloud9, Sergey "Ax1Le" Rykhtorov has obtained a visa and is on his way to Germany to join the rest of his squad for the IEM Cologne playoffs. Timur "buster" Tulepov took over as the 21-year-old rifler's replacement since he was unable to participate in the event's group stage. Despite his absence, Cloud9 was still able to advance through the lower bracket with victories over 9INE, Monte, and GamerLegion.

Adding Denis "electroNic" Sharipov and Ilya "Perfecto" Zalutskiy on transfer from Natus Vincere to replace Vladislav "nafany" Gorshkov and buster was the most anticipated transfer of the off-season for Cloud9. The two new signings were a fantastic match for the team's roles, and even during the group stage, Cloud9 appeared to have completely recovered. Now that star rifler Ax1Le can return to the server in time for the team's quarterfinal encounter against Vitality at the Lanxess Arena, we'll finally get to see them in full force.