MOUZ NXT Sign eSx and mixer to Rebuild Academy Roster Ahead of New Season

12.07.2026 - 18:26

MOUZ NXT Sign eSx and mixer to Rebuild Academy Roster Ahead of New Season

MOUZ have officially strengthened their renowned academy project by adding Sacha "eSx" Dupin and Mikołaj "mixer" Zhu to MOUZ NXT, restoring the development squad to a full five-player roster after months of transition.

The announcement marks another chapter in one of Counter-Strike's most successful academy systems, which has previously produced players such as xertioN, Jimpphat, torzsi, siuhy, and PR. Rather than making headline-grabbing veteran additions, MOUZ once again invested in long-term potential by recruiting two 17-year-old prospects.

Quick Summary

Item	Details
Organization	MOUZ
Team	MOUZ NXT
New signings	Sacha "eSx" Dupin, Mikołaj "mixer" Zhu
Date announced	July 10, 2026
Status	Official
Region	Europe
Purpose	Complete the academy lineup after previous departures
Previous known team	eSx: 3DMAX Academy; mixer: Free agent / previous Betclic appearances

MOUZ complete the MOUZ NXT roster

Following several months of roster instability, MOUZ NXT once again fields a complete five-man lineup.

The academy team had been reduced to only three permanent players after:

Joey was benched before later joining Sangal.
xelex earned promotion to the main MOUZ roster.
Temporary stand-ins were required to finish the previous competitive period.

To solve those vacancies, MOUZ signed two promising teenagers:

Sacha "eSx" Dupin

The French rifler arrives from 3DMAX Academy.

Although his official HLTV experience is still limited, eSx has already appeared in professional qualifiers, giving MOUZ another mechanically gifted prospect to develop over time.

Mikołaj "mixer" Zhu

The 17-year-old Polish-Chinese player has only a handful of official maps recorded but has already gained attention inside European Counter-Strike circles.

His international background also makes him one of the more unique additions currently entering the European academy ecosystem.

Updated MOUZ NXT roster

Player	Nationality	Status
opdust	Portugal	Active
ay0k	Latvia	Active
Nikodeon	Denmark	Active
eSx	France	New signing
mixer	China / Poland	New signing
lmbt	Ukraine	Coach

Roster confirmed by MOUZ.

Background: another rebuild for one of CS's best academy projects

MOUZ NXT has consistently been viewed as one of Counter-Strike's premier development programs.

Over the past several years, numerous academy graduates have progressed into Tier 1 competition, including:

xertioN
torzsi
Jimpphat
siuhy
PR

Because of that track record, every roster move within the academy tends to attract attention beyond the lower-tier scene.

The latest rebuild became necessary after xelex's promotion to MOUZ and Joey's departure, leaving significant gaps in the lineup.

Why this matters

Although neither signing comes with extensive professional experience, academy teams are evaluated differently from established Tier 1 rosters.

For MOUZ, success is measured by:

identifying young talent before other organizations;
accelerating player development;
creating future first-team candidates;
maintaining a sustainable talent pipeline.

These two additions fit that long-term philosophy rather than providing immediate short-term competitive gains.

Timeline

Date	Event
March 2026	Joey moved to the bench
April 2026	xelex promoted to MOUZ main roster
June 2026	Joey transferred to Sangal
May–June 2026	Academy completed events with stand-ins
July 10, 2026	eSx and mixer officially join MOUZ NXT

Key Details

Category	Information
Announcement	Official
Main keyword	MOUZ
Academy team	MOUZ NXT
New players	eSx, mixer
Average age of additions	17
Coach	lmbt
Current roster size	Five players
Ranking impact	TBD
VRS impact	No official data provided

Tactical impact

At this stage, MOUZ has not disclosed the exact in-game roles for either newcomer.

Because role assignments have not been officially confirmed, any prediction regarding responsibilities, positions, or leadership would be speculative.

What is already clear is that the organization preferred two young prospects with room for long-term growth over experienced free agents, reinforcing its academy-first philosophy.

Tournament impact

The completed roster allows MOUZ NXT to return to official competition without relying on emergency stand-ins.

According to the current team schedule, the academy squad is expected to continue participating in European online competitions, including ESL Challenger League events, though no debut match for the new lineup has been officially confirmed at the time of writing.

What changes now

The signings accomplish several objectives:

restore a complete starting lineup;
allow structured practice with a permanent roster;
continue rebuilding after recent promotions and transfers;
provide MOUZ scouts with two additional long-term development projects.

For the organization, the academy once again becomes a functioning pathway toward the main team rather than a roster operating with temporary solutions.