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GamerLegion Benches Snax and Signs shalfey as New CS2 IGL
GamerLegion has benched Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski and signed Aleksandr "shalfey" Marenov as the new captain of its Counter-Strike 2 roster. Both moves were announced on Wednesday (October 21), following a string of poor results that has left the organization with very little chance of qualifying for the Singapore Major.
Snax, 33, ends his second stint on the active roster. GamerLegion has brought in 24-year-old Russian in-game leader (IGL) shalfey, who previously played for ex-RUSTEC and is set to make his debut for the team next week.
GamerLegion Benches Snax Following Ranking Slide
Snax first played for GamerLegion from September 2023 to July 2024 before returning in December 2025. During his second stint, he led the team to the BLAST Rivals semifinals and a runner-up finish at IEM Atlanta in May 2026, where they lost the final to NAVI 3-0.
Results declined in the second half of the season. GamerLegion exited the IEM Cologne Major after three losses in the second stage and lost Oldřich "PR" Nový, who moved to MOUZ. The team subsequently dropped from ninth in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) in June to 42nd in October, according to HLTV.
Despite finishing second at 1win Private Club Season 1 in September, losing the final 3-1 to Ninjas in Pyjamas, GamerLegion failed to regain consistency. Its most recent setback came in the PGL Bucharest 2027 closed qualifier, where losses to ex-RUSTEC (2-0) and EYEBALLERS (2-1) ended its run without a series win.
In its announcement regarding Snax, GamerLegion thanked the veteran for his leadership and highlighted the team's BLAST Rivals and IEM Atlanta runs. The organization confirmed only that he had been moved off the active roster, without announcing a contract termination or his next destination.
shalfey Beat GamerLegion Five Days Before Signing
The new captain has previously played for FORZE, Nemiga, and 9 Pandas. With FORZE, he competed at the Antwerp Major in 2022 and the Paris Major in 2023. More recently, he played for ex-RUSTEC in online tournaments, averaging a 1.06 rating across his stints with Russian teams in 2026, according to HLTV. This will be his first time leading an international roster.
On October 16, just five days before joining the team, shalfey helped knock GamerLegion into the lower bracket of the PGL Bucharest 2027 qualifier. ex-RUSTEC won the series 2-0, taking Dust2 13-11 and Inferno 13-6. On Dust2, GamerLegion had built a 10-2 lead before losing the map.
Following that loss, GamerLegion dropped to the lower bracket, where the team lost to EYEBALLERS and finished the qualifier tied for last place with Eternal Fire. The team also has a very slim chance of receiving an invitation to the PGL Major Singapore 2026, with qualification determined by the VRS ranking.
GamerLegion's Updated Roster and shalfey's Debut Date
shalfey is expected to make his GamerLegion debut on October 27 against Envy in the opening round of the RLG Tesla Cup 2026, held in Belgrade, Serbia.
Here is GamerLegion's updated CS2 roster:
- Fredrik "REZ" Sterner
- Sebastian "Tauson" Tauson Lindelof
- Timur "FL4MUS" Marev
- Milan "hypex" Polowiec
- Aleksandr "shalfey" Marenov (IGL)
- Adrian "imd" Pieper (coach)
Snax remains off the active roster. His next move in competitive Counter-Strike has not yet been officially announced.
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Featured image credit: Bounty
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