The CS:GO esports franchise has signed 18-year-old Aleksandr “KaiR0N-” Anashkin as his replacement, the Outsiders have announced.

“The Virtus.pro CS:GO team welcomes one more member as Alexander “KaiR0N-” Anashkin joins the squad,” the announcement read.

“He will replace David “n0rb3r7″ Danielyan in the active roster, who is going to focus on improving his individual form.”

In the early part of last year, the esports team underwent a revamp in which the now Team Liquid entry fragger Mareks “YEKINDAR” Ga?inskis left the squad due to external pressures and Timur “buster” Tulepov was also benched to allow the team to explore new ideas.

As part of this revamp, n0rb3r7 and Petr “fame” Bolyshev were brought in as replacements for YEKINDAR and buster.

The decision to bench the Russian rifler and replace him with KaiR0N-, comes after Outsiders followed up its victory at the IEM Rio Major with a disappointing last-place finish at the BLAST Premier World Final.

According to Nikolai Petrossian, the CEO of the parent company of Outsiders, this “humbling defeat” was the catalyst for the roster change. Petrossian stated that the team realized it needed changes to stay true to its playstyle and not let opponents adapt to them, leading to the decision to bench n0rb3r7 and bring in KaiR0N-.

��A historic victory in Rio was followed by a humbling defeat in Abu Dhabi. We realized that the team needed changes that would allow us to stay true to our playstyle, while not letting opponents adapt to us,” Petrossian said.

“Therefore, we have decided to temporarily allow David to focus on his individual form, while KaiR0N- takes his place in the active roster. KaiR0N- is very talented. As soon as we had the opportunity to sign Alexander, we immediately took it. Glad to welcome him into the ranks of the Bears!”

However, Petrossian was quick to emphasize that n0rb3r7 is a “brilliant player,” and that the team is open to temporary loan proposals for him while he is on the bench. This suggests that the move is more about giving n0rb3r7 time to improve and potentially return to the active roster in the future, rather than a permanent departure from the team.

KaiR0N- has already made a name for himself as an up-and-coming player, with notable performances for INDE IRAE and Spirit Academy where he averaged a 1.14 and 1.22 rating, respectively.

He has also received praise and predictions of success from fellow Outsiders players Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis and Dzhami “Jame” Ali. However, KaiR0N-‘s stint with the main Spirit roster at the end of 2021 was less successful, as he struggled to perform in the four maps he played at DreamHack Open in November.

It remains to be seen how KaiR0N-‘s addition to the Outsiders roster will impact the team’s performance. The team had been on an upward trajectory, with a 5-8th place finish at the ESL Pro League Season 16 and a surprise run to the trophy at the IEM Rio Major, which temporarily propelled them to the top of the world rankings. However, their underwhelming performance at the BLAST Premier World Final knocked them off that perch.

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