Twitch Bans Donk! Cloud9 Quits CS2 BetBoom Dacha Belgrade!
May has just started out, and the Counter-Strike 2 Esports scene is already in complete chaos and disarray! Twitch just banned Team Spirit’s star player Danil “donk” Kryshkovets for a bizarre reason, and Cloud 9 changed half of their roster and gave up on a tournament they were the clear favorites to win. Let’s take a look at this week’s drama.
Donk, a rising talent in CS2 Esports, has an impressive resume, including winning an IEM title. He burst onto the scene in late 2023 after moving up from Team Spirit Academy, boosting his team to a decisive victory at the BetBoom Dacha Dubai tournament in December 2023 and the IEM Katowice Cup in February 2024.
The pro-player started his gaming career at a very young age, and that was exactly the problem. In a recent post on social media, Donk revealed that Twitch banned him for creating his account before turning 13, which violates the streaming platform’s rules.
Fans flooded Twitter and r/cs2 on Reddit with support, using the hashtag #Freedonk and suggesting he switch to a rival streaming platform like Kick. The ban came shortly after Team Spirit's participation in the PGL Copenhagen Major in March, where they finished in the top eight before being eliminated by FaZe Clan. Despite this defeat, Donk and his team are preparing for the CS2 BetBoom Dacha Belgrade event later this month.
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This tournament is precisely where these two stories come together. While everyone was watching Twitch ban the pro-player, Cloud 9 dropped a bombshell, announcing they would no longer be participating in the BetBoom Dacha Belgrade event. With just a week left before the tournament, the announcement of their withdrawal due to the inability to get a complete lineup caused a lot of tension between Cloud9 and the CS2 BetBoom Dacha organizers. |
The team apologized for abandoning the tournament on such short notice, but they were not ready to compete after benching Perfecto and Hobbit and losing electronic to Virtus.Pro. C9 are currently searching for more players to boost their roster.
In a statement to the organizers, Cloud 9 expressed appreciation for their fans and explained that they could only enter events with full focus. They decided to delay any competitive matches until their roster was complete. Currently, only Boombl4 and Ax1Le remain on the Cloud 9 roster. Electronic left abruptly for Virtus.Pro last month, while Hobbit and Perfecto were benched.
The decision to shake up the roster came after Cloud 9's disappointing performances this year. Despite participating in top-tier CS2 competitions like BLAST Premier Spring Groups, PGL Copenhagen Major, IEM Chengdu, and IEM Katowice, they failed to secure a position higher than fifth place. Despite the expected adjustment period, their performance failed to meet the expectations of the gaming community.
Interestingly, Cloud 9 were considered favorites in the BetBoom Dacha Belgrade event after being grouped with Virtus.Pro, Team Falcons, and MOUZ in Group A.
The grand finals of the CS2 BetBoom Dacha Belgrade event will take place on May 19. Because of their sudden withdrawal, the organizers have yet to announce Cloud 9's replacement in the highly competitive Group A. Stay tuned for more updates on the BetBoom Dacha Belgrade and all things CS2!
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