In this first deep-dive of the year, we'll take you through roster change highlights (or lack thereof) that have happened during the break.

Although we may have all expected a bit more from this rostermania, there’s still been a fair few deals that have caught the eye. Astralis going international is one of them, whilst s1mple lining up next to MUTiRiS for the foreseeable future feels like a disaster waiting to happen.

There’s also - because we can’t go a rostermania without it - been a tonne of confusion. What happened to GamerLegion selling their core? More importantly, why did they bring back Snax? Why does Senzu want to AWP? And why the f-ck haven’t Falcons signed their one more star?

All around the shop there’s decisions that I can’t wrap my head around, but I know that they’re rubbish. That said, there’s also some moves (and also lack of) that I quite like, so, because I’m an egomaniac who likes the sound of my own voice a bit too much, I thought I’d share my thoughts with you.

These are the winners and losers of rostermania. And also Team Spirit. Who I still hate. With a passion.

The world’s biggest sidegrade

It seems fitting, then, to start with Spirit. And yes, this is where I fence-sit.

Truthfully, I don’t know if Spirit have made good changes or not. Bringing zont1x in for zweih feels like it should be good, because zont1x is a better player, but there’s just something I’m struggling to see in the bigger picture. That something is where zont1x will fit in the new magixx-led system.

During his time on Spirit, zweih was taken away from the lurking that made Spirit sign him and was instead turned into a bombsite entry. A pretty crap one at that, too. Of course, with magixx back in the fold it would make sense that he will return to those duties, but we all know this is hally’s system, so who is going to fill in the chopper position of “standing outside Connector and waiting to die on the terrible Mirage A splits”?

Also, who will be throwing the flashbangs? I know this is Spirit and they don’t like them too much - and it’s not like donk exactly needs them either - but will sh1ro start throwing more? Will magixx? Or will zont1x just become AW with aura?

There’s also the issue of magixx IGLing. Which yes, I am presuming will be an issue. He just doesn’t seem like an IGL, does he? It’s like Perfecto IGLing, or Brollan, are these players not better off just doing anything else? Are they really captain material? Do we really believe that magixx will be better than chopper? I don’t, which is pretty worrying considering how sh-t I think chopper is.

Realistically, I think hally just wants another puppet. Another poor b-stard whose arse he can shove his hand up and use their mouth to say “donk, go kill”. Which is fine when donk is killing things, but as we’ve seen for two years now, Spirit suck when a team shuts donk down.

The fact is, I’m already tired of this roster. Nothing will change. They still won’t be dominant and donk will still have his best player in the world status questioned because of inferior Fr-nch people. And that’s something I can’t stand.