With the Perfect World Shanghai Major coming up and the year almost done, we’re starting to get rumours as to who may be finding themselves on new teams for 2025.

We’ve already seen cadiaN move to Astralis and s1mple go to Falcons (albeit only a loan move - for now), there’s plenty of rumours with NiKo and Jimpphat both seeing their names circulated for moves to Falcons and Vitality respectively.

With that in mind, we thought it would fun to take a look at some dream scenarios heading into next season for moves that could make teams even more competitive for next year.

Look away now though, MOUZ fans, this article will see your team torn apart as other we expect their players to be prime targets for anyone looking to strengthen.

xertioN to Liquid for YEKINDAR

The first MOUZ player we’d like to see get a move is their aggressive star, xertioN. 

xertioN has been in stellar form this year, helping his team win both BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 and ESL Pro League Season 19, his second Pro League title after winning Season 18 in the final ever CS:GO tournament.

As one of the premium aggressive stars in the world, xertioN is sure to be a wanted man at the end of the year and although many might expect FaZe to go for him as they tend to do with MOUZ players, we thought it would be more fun to see him move to Liquid.

It’s no secret that YEKINDAR has been disappointing for a long time now, his stint as an IGL was unsuccessful and he has failed to return to his peak form in 2024 under both cadiaN and Twistzz. His time must be running out at Liquid, and xertioN would be a perfect replacement for him.

sjuush to Astralis, replacing Staehr

With cadiaN now reunited with jabbi and stavn, doesn’t it just make sense to add another of cadiaN’s HEROIC team to the mix?

Alongside TeSeS, sjuush was one of two players to stick by HEROIC at the end of 2023, and unfortunately, the year has passed him by as a result. HEROIC has struggled all year, their best placing came at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade, one of just two times they have actually made the playoffs of an event all year.

Although Staehr has shown that he has potential, there’s no denying that sjuush would be a perfect fit for Astralis. His role is the final piece of the puzzle for cadiaN to replicate the success he had with his former team, and Astralis could even make it happen by offering their rivals a swap deal.

siuhy and Jimpphat to G2, replacing Snax and NiKo

Now, we’re going to preface this one by saying we’d rather see NiKo stay in G2, but that feels unlikely given how serious the rumours of his imminent departure to Falcons are.

So, with that in mind, how can G2 look to strengthen their team if they’re set to lose the greatest rifler in CS history? To us, the answer is simple. 

siuhy has very quickly become regarded as one of the best IGLs in CS, and he’s proving you can win things with kids thanks to his repeated successes with MOUZ. Given that G2 already has young talent in malbsMd and m0NESY, it makes sense to pick up an IGL that will be good for years as well.

This would also be of huge benefit to them, as there’s no doubt that Snax is a weak link in G2. They aren’t playing pleasing CS right now, and their games are won as a result of their stars and firepower as opposed to his calling, so G2 could greatly benefit from bringing in a better tactician with the inevitable loss to their firepower.

That loss of firepower is another aspect to consider, and who better to fill that gap than Jimpphat? The Finnish fragger was a surprise promotion to the MOUZ main team in 2023, and the team hasn’t looked back since as he has proven to be one of the most reliable anchors in the game.

A player that would add another level to G2’s game, he would be a great fit for more passive roles when malbsMd steps into more active ones if NiKo does end up departing.

SunPayus to Complexity

Complexity in 2024 have felt like nearly-men. The NA team is always close to causing real damage, but in the end, they often leave events disappointed and without playoff presence.

EliGE has been outstanding all year round and is considered amongst the world’s best players yet again, but he often feels like a one man army on Complexity, and a more impactful AWPer could be a great benefit to the team.

It feels harsh on hallzerk, because he’s by no means the worst offender on the team, but with Complexity’s commitment to the NA scene, he’s the only change that the team can make. Besides, we know that he’s prone to tilting, and with EliGE also falling into that category, it can’t be beneficial to their success.

Previously, there were very few players Complexity could look towards to potentially upgrade on hallzerk, and even fewer still who would consider joining, but the recent benching of SunPayus is a tantalising prospect. 

SunPayus hasn’t really found his footing yet in CS2, but he was Falcons’ best player before his benching. If a new team could see him get back to his best, then Complexity would be able to sign someone who has a ceiling that sees him sit strong amongst the best AWPers in the world. 

Perfecto to Vitality

The final move we’d like to see after the Shanghai Major is Perfecto to Vitality. The former NAVI man has been without a team for too long, so with us also saying we’d prefer to see Jimpphat move to G2 instead, it makes sense that the French organisation would look towards Perfecto as a new anchor player.

Although mezii seems to have a positive impact on the team’s atmosphere, he often goes missing in games and can really struggle to have impact against top teams. It’s a move that hasn’t elevated Vitality in the way flameZ did, so it makes sense that they’d be looking to change to get back to their 2023 levels.

In Perfecto, Vitality would be able to sign one of the best small-site anchors in the history of CS. His time with Cloud9 may have ultimately been a failure, but given everything he did on NAVI, he could just be the man to take Vitality back to the top on a consistent basis.