Congratulations to Vitality for Extending Their Era Through 2025 — Everyone Else Just Helped Them Do It

The CS2 transfer window turned into a perfect zero-sum game: someone loses — Vitality wins. While others scrambled to plug holes or simply stood still, the Austin Major champions calmly observed the chaos and prepared for the next phase of their reign. If you were hoping for intrigue this season, Vitality’s rivals buried it themselves.

Those Who Tried to Upgrade Only Weakened Themselves

Most top teams either made no changes at all (like MOUZ and Liquid) or went through disjointed transfers that looked more like a last-minute sale spree. Liquid, for example, lost their very first match of the new season to Sashi — a team barely in the top 50 — and faith in MOUZ remains at rock bottom.

FaZe brought back broky and passed on s1mple — a move that disappointed even the most loyal fans. All the talk from karrigan about a "new mentality" and "chemistry with Sasha" quickly turned into "we need broky’s fire." Just a month ago, that same "fire" looked more like burnout. The gap between karrigan’s words and actions felt like a cold shower for FaZe fans.

Meanwhile, NAVI opted for absurdity over progress: s1mple remains benched — the club won’t sell him, but also won’t let him play. He calls the situation a "prison," hinting at the fractured relationship between CS’s greatest legend and the organization. Instead, NAVI signed Makazze — a talented but volatile academy player. A risky move, especially after losing JL and the potential morale hit it could cause.

Falcons, VP, and Spirit Only Complicated Things for Themselves

VP added Perfecto — and immediately crashed out, going winless. Spirit made a strange move: Magixx, a trusted teammate, was let go, while Kyosuke — a promising but raw talent — was transferred to Falcons, even though he was originally expected to join Spirit’s main roster. OverDrive confirmed the deal was made as early as December.

Kyosuke to Falcons is a bet on the future, not an upgrade for today. He doesn’t know the team, doesn’t share a language with most players, and will need time to adapt. But tier-one CS gives no time. Falcons keep collecting stars, but their teamplay isn’t improving.

Astralis and Asia: Two Quiet Winners

While the West descended into chaos, Asia remained silent and steady. Tyloo, Lynn Vision, and TheMongolz kept their rosters intact and didn’t lose any momentum after Austin. Maybe they really are following the ancient Chinese strategy — “sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight.” Still, against Vitality, it’s not enough: in their last 15 maps against the French squad, TheMongolz have only won two.

The most successful transfer of the summer? Hooxi to Astralis. Yes, that Hooxi — once considered G2’s biggest mistake. Now he’s the best pickup of the window. And that says a lot about the state of the scene, if we’re being honest.

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And Vitality? They Simply Stayed the Same — And That’s More Than Enough

ZywOo, flameZ, Spinx, Magisk, and apEX — a core that’s already won a Major and consistently sits at the top. No one left. No one slumped. Their structure is intact, their playstyle solid, and their balance between raw skill and experience is flawless.

While everyone else keeps making mistakes, Vitality keeps dominating. And if nothing changes, by the end of 2025 we won’t just be calling them a “top team.” We’ll be witnessing a full-fledged era — one that might rival Astralis’ golden age in 2018.