Cloud9 player Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov shared his thoughts on his new teammates in a conversation with blogger Erik "Shoke" Shokov, highlighting the positive attributes of the newcomers to the CS2 roster.
"Kaisar [ICY] has a clear hunter's instinct. In every round, I see him as this... I don't know, he reminds me of a predatory creature, always looking for opportunities. I like that. I think it's one of the main qualities of an AWP player. He wants to make a difference on the map. And I would say his weapon and position allow him to do that. He just needs time and experience now. I'm confident he will become a tier-1 player, I mean, a stable one with experience."
Boombl4 also has high hopes for Nikita "HeavyGod" Martynenko, believing that the teammate can partially take on the role of a captain during matches.
"Regarding Nikita HeavyGod — he's a very positive guy. I feel like his outlook is somewhat similar to mine. With flamie, it was more about jokes, but with Nikita, he just works hard and wants to win. He does get a bit frustrated, like everyone, when he gets killed in CS2. Super positive guy, hardworking. We rely on him as a star player, and he shows that role. He talks a lot, essentially being the second voice in the team. I want Nikita to be a player who can take control of a part of the map and make an impact. I see that he can do it; he’s been performing well. The roles have shifted a bit for him. He's a versatile player. I like that he didn't come in with the attitude of 'Oh, it's going to be hard to transition to this role.' I've never heard that from him; he’s always said, 'Yeah, okay, I'll give it a try. I’ve played various roles before,' so he's very adaptable."
Mikhailov also commented on Timofey "interz" Yakushin, emphasising that he had not played with the player before his joining C9.
"Timofey interz — even though I hadn't played with him, I felt like I understood his role perfectly. I have great relations with everyone now, and I’m happy with the team atmosphere."
The changes to Cloud9’s CS2 roster were announced on July 11. The new players joined Boombl4 and Sergey "Ax1Le" Rykhtorov, the only remaining members from the old roster.