According to HLTV’s story from yesterday, the company is purportedly attempting to sign Timur “buster” Tulepov, who has been sitting out of Virtus Pro since May 23. The 23-year-old would take Interz’s place on the starting lineup, as was initially reported in December of last year.
The report adds that the North American organization considered multiple players for interz’s replacement, but buster was seen as the best fit from the start.
Cloud9 haven’t played in any tournament since IEM CS:GO Rio Major 2022, which concluded on Nov. 13. The CIS squad had a rocky start with a 3-2 record in the Challengers Stage, and then a flawless 3-0 run in the Legends Stage, turning them one of the favorites to hoist the trophy out of the remaining teams. However, C9 fell to MOUZ in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 score.
Buster’s squad, Outsiders, won the Major in Brazil, though the 23-year-old himself didn’t contribute at all to their victory: he’s been benched since May 23, after the PGL Antwerp CS:GO Major concluded.
Cloud9 will take part in the two first big tournaments of the year: IEM Katowice 2023 and ESL Pro League Season 17. The team is set to complete the roster swap before they begin to compete on Jan. 31 with the Play-In Stage, where C9 will start their journey in the Polish event.