Chopper on being replaced in Team Spirit: “A logical conclusion” — what led to the change and what comes next

Team Spirit’s end-of-season reshuffle has made headlines for one clear reason: the organization has removed long-time captain Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov from the starting five. The move came alongside the benching of rifler Ivan “zweih” Gogin and a swift rollback to a more familiar core: Boris “magixx” Vorobiev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia returned to the active roster, with magixx assuming in-game leadership duties. Spirit confirmed the decisions in their official announcement, which was echoed by independent reporting the same day. 

Speaking after the team’s disappointing Major run, chopper framed the possibility of a replacement as a “logical conclusion,” noting that Spirit’s ambitions require decisive changes when results stall. This sentiment follows a string of on-camera remarks in recent months in which he acknowledged the team’s form issues and even said he could be kicked if his level wasn’t sufficient—comments that hinted at a reckoning if the slide continued. 

How the season’s trajectory set up the decision

Spirit’s downturn crystallized at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, where they were eliminated sooner than expected. In post-match interviews, chopper accepted responsibility as IGL, saying that match control and mid-round decision-making weren’t good enough—particularly in closing out tight maps. Those public admissions, made immediately after the exit, dovetail with the org’s subsequent roster call. 

External voices in the CIS scene were blunt as well. Outsiders’ in-game leader Andrey “Jerry” Mekhryakov argued that removing chopper was the right call, pointing to visible form issues in the Major stage games. While an opinion rather than an official club statement, it reflects a wider competitive perception that Spirit’s leadership structure had to change to unlock the roster’s ceiling. 

Why magixx for IGL, and why now?

Spirit’s decision to pass the captaincy to magixx isn’t coming out of nowhere. Back in August, he discussed being open to becoming an in-game leader, and the club’s formal update confirms he will take over those duties. Reintroducing zont1x—a player Spirit previously paused due to roster direction changes—gives magixx another familiar teammate to pilot. The immediate objective is to stabilize roles and regain mid-round clarity that faltered in the latter part of the season. 

Chopper’s own assessment of his IGL arc

Chopper has been transparent about the long learning curve that comes with calling. In mid-2024 he described how switching into full-time IGL cost him individual performance at first and required years of deliberate study to reach comfort in the role. That vulnerability—publicly owning both the growth and the shortcomings—adds context to his present stance that a benching can be the “logical” end point for an underperforming project. 

A pattern of warnings before the cut

In the months leading up to the change, chopper repeatedly flagged the need for structural decisions. After another rough event, he said Spirit had to return home, meet with leadership, and decide on next steps—an unusually candid admission that the roster was at an inflection point. Later, he distilled the season to its essence: despite good practice and hard work, the fact remained “you’re losing; something has to be done.” Those statements proved prophetic. 

The official shape of Spirit after the move

Per the club’s update and parallel reports:

• Benched: chopper (IGL), zweih (rifler).

• Reinstated to starting lineup: magixx, zont1x.

• New IGL: magixx.

This structure resets Spirit toward a lineup with deeper shared reps, while staking leadership on a player who has shown willingness to evolve his role. 

What it means for chopper’s future

Being moved to the bench doesn’t necessarily end a career chapter—especially for a veteran captain from a title-contending org. Market chatter already frames him as a candidate for teams seeking a stabilizing IGL presence. The appetite will depend on how organizations weigh his strong track record of developing talent against the recent stagnation that Spirit felt compelled to fix. (The club has not announced a transfer at the time of writing.) 

Why Spirit felt urgency

For a team with top-end aspirations, lingering in the middle of the pack is unacceptable. Spirit’s leadership had already tested alternatives during 2025—most notably the earlier decision to sideline zont1x for a period and experiment with fresh ideas—before reversing course here and doubling down on known chemistry. The new call sheet under magixx aims to restore the decisive, tempo-driven play that once defined Spirit’s peaks. 

Reception inside the scene

Reactions have ranged from respectful farewells to hard-edged critiques of form, reflecting how polarizing IGL changes can be. Public posts and community discussions frame the move as difficult but necessary for Spirit to reset. None of that alters the core facts: Spirit made the benchings official, and chopper himself accepts the premise that replacing him is a logical endpoint after an underwhelming season climax. 

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At a glance — verified timeline

• Jun 2025: After Major elimination, chopper says the team must talk with leadership about what comes next. 

• Jul 2025: On stream, he acknowledges that if he remains weak, he expects to be kicked. 

• Nov–Dec 2025: Team results remain uneven; criticism of Spirit’s play mounts from inside and outside the organization. 

• Dec 18–19, 2025: Spirit benches chopper and zweih, brings back magixx and zont1x; magixx becomes IGL.

• Same week: Pros like Jerry publicly support the decision, citing visible performance decline.

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The bigger picture

Chopper’s willingness to call the replacement “logical” underscores a professional realism that’s increasingly common at the top of CS2: leaders are judged by how consistently their teams convert practice into stage wins at the biggest events. Spirit’s choice to elevate magixx and restore zont1x is a bet that familiar synergy plus a fresh IGL voice will reverse their late-season trend. Whether that gamble pays off will be measurable soon enough—through qualifiers, league play, and their next Tier-1 LANs.

For chopper, the bench is not a full stop but a new fork in the road: a chance to reset as a player elsewhere, to return later under different circumstances, or even to explore coaching and system-building roles that value his developmental record. What is unambiguous is the factual core: Spirit made the change; the captain accepts the logic behind it; and the roster now belongs to magixx’s vision.