MIBR Move AWPer saffee to Bench After Two-Year Tenure

MIBR Move AWPer saffee to Bench After Two-Year Tenure

Brazilian esports organization MIBR has officially benched their AWPer Rafael "saffee" Costa—a decision marking the second roster change of the season, following the earlier addition of nicks in place of Lucaozy during a mid-season break.

saffee’s Journey and Performance with MIBR

Saffee joined MIBR in June 2023, after a notable stint with FURIA. During his time with MIBR, he contributed to several achievements:

Tournament titles such as ESL Challenger Melbourne, MEO XL Cup, and RES Latin American Series;

A 3-4th place finish at ESL Pro League Season 20;

Appearances at both the Perfect World Shanghai Major and BLAST.tv Austin Major

However, in 2025 his individual form declined significantly. His rating dropped from 1.07 in the previous year to approximately 0.96 in the last eight months. In MIBR’s most recent three events—FISSURE Playground 1, IEM Cologne Stage 1, and BLAST Bounty Season 2—he averaged just 0.87, the third-best on the team behind brnz4n (0.92) and insani (1.15). Those tournaments yielded only one series win and zero map wins in losses.

Team Outlook and Unknowns Ahead

With saffee benched, the current active lineup now consists of: exit (IGL), brnz4n, insani, nicks, and coach jnt.

MIBR has not yet announced a replacement AWPer, leaving fans and analysts to speculate on who might fill such an experienced void.

Community Reactions (from skin.club)

The move sparked reactions within the Brazilian CS 2 scene:

“The problem is, who do you put in? The only AWPer I see is hen1, but replacing a 30y AWPer with another 30y AWPer — that’s tough.”
— user setsz

Others expressed gratitude to saffee:

“Saffee, I will always cheer for you and respect you. Unfortunately, some paths don’t go the way we want, but know that you are a top-class professional! I wish you luck in your near future!”
— user Gustavo 

Notably, neither MIBR’s players nor staff have publicly commented on the decision, leaving the internal dynamics largely speculative at this point