tN1R to Join Spirit After EWC — Promotion, Buyout, and Roster Shakes Ahead

tN1R to Join Spirit After EWC — Promotion, Buyout, and Roster Shakes Ahead

Multiple sources—including a report from HLTV—have confirmed that Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich will leave HEROIC and join Team Spirit immediately following the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025. The Belarusian rifler, who has maintained an outstanding 1.17 rating throughout 2025, played his final match for HEROIC earlier this week—ironically, against Spirit in the first round of EWC. 

What We Know

• HEROIC announced the sale of tN1R, confirming his departure after EWC. Though the acquiring team was not named in their statement, both HLTV and EsportsInsider now report that Spirit will be the destination.

• Director of Esports Robin Nymann revealed that HEROIC had "repeatedly declined bids for [tN1R]," but ultimately had to honor a buyout clause in his contract—indicating Spirit had been planning the move for some time.

Spirit’s Interest

• Spirit have long admired tN1R, particularly as a potential replacement for zont1x, whose future with the team has been unclear.

• The move would reunite tN1R with donk—his former compatriot—and allow Spirit to reconfigure their roster going into the final stretch of the 2025 season.

Context & Implications

• HEROIC regarded tN1R as their top performer in 2025, helping secure important titles such as the CCT Global Finals and MESA Nomadic Masters Spring on top of consistent major performances—all of which make this a notable loss.

• Spirit, by contrast, forged a near-untouchable identity this year—winning IEM Cologne 2025 and capturing high placements at PGL Astana and IEM Katowice, though zont1x was replaced by zweih in July. The addition of tN1R would add firepower to this dominant core.

Signing Timeline & Turning Points

• tN1R’s final official appearance for HEROIC will be at EWC, where HEROIC opens their bracket against Spirit—potentially an awkward curtain-closer.

• Contextualized against HEROIC’s recent signing of xfl0ud, this transfer concludes a period of roster recalibration for both teams—HEROIC loses their star performer just as Spirit looks to further solidify the best CS2 squad of the year.

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Snapshot: tN1R Transfer to Spirit

Detail	Info
Departure	After Esports World Cup 2025 (HEROIC vs Spirit match)
Transfer type	Sale via buyout clause after brokered bids
Role in Spirit	Expected to replace zont1x, strengthening rifling core
Strategic impact	HEROIC loses 2025’s top-rated performer; Spirit boosts roster depth

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This move marks a major shift in the CS2 transfer landscape—raising questions about HEROIC’s future form and bolstering Spirit’s contention ahead of BLAST and remaining 2025 Majors.