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The MongolZ Rise Again as Rebuilt CS2 Roster and Reach VRS Top Eight
The Mongolian threat is back! 19 days after the rebuilt The Mongolz roster played its first official series together, they record a 2-0 win over Natus Vincere at the CS2 IEM Beijing and reach eighth in live VRS calculation, with 45 points added for a total of 1,757.
There is a familiar feeling to this run, but two of the players are different. The team that reached the Austin Major final and won Esports World Cup in 2025 now has nin9 and cobrazera in the places once occupied by Senzu and mzinho.
The First Rise, and the Rebuild That Followed
The original five reached No. 1 in live VRS in September 2025, after an Austin runner-up finish and their first Big Event trophy at EWC. By October 2026, Senzu and mzinho were at BC.Game, and a subsequent lineup with tikuak and DarkMeister had ended FISSURE Playground 3 in last place.
The next attempt reunited familiar faces, with cobrazera returning after almost three months on the bench and 28-year-old nin9 arriving from The Huns on October 5. Alongside bLitz, Techno and 910, with maaRaa coaching, nin9 rejoined teammates from the IHC roster that qualified for the Antwerp Major in 2022.
How The MongolZ won their VRS points
Their first tournament brought an immediate return, as The MongolZ won 1win Private Club Season 2 on October 22, recovered through the lower bracket and swept PARIVISION 3-0 in the final. This recorded a tournament gain of 282 VRS points to 1,453, a 49-place climb to No. 23, while nin9 finished the final with a 1.56 rating.
A 2-1 victory over Aurora in Bucharest added another 84 points, before Beijing brought four consecutive series wins against Legacy, HEROIC, FURIA and NAVI. Those results fit Valve’s model, which counts recent LAN wins and prize earnings, alongside beaten opponents’ earnings and head-to-head results.
These gains are snapshots, rather than a running total that can simply be added together, because the model recalculates results with recency weighting. The distinction matters here, as Valve’s November 2 invitation release lists The MongolZ at No. 17 with 1,554 points, while eighth is their newer live position.
A Second Voice, and an Answer on Cache
Techno has described the difference inside the server, saying “it almost feels like we are playing with two IGLs,” with bLitz still the main caller and nin9 directing his side of the map. The newcomer has supplied rounds as well as calls, with a 1.86 rating across Nuke’s 12 overtime rounds against HEROIC.
Cache is another reason to watch, after four consecutive losses on the map gave way to a 13-8 win over FURIA and a 13-10 win on NAVI’s pick. Two wins are a small sample, but opponents can no longer treat those recent defeats as the whole scouting report.
MOUZ await in the November 8 final, with Singapore Major preparation next on the agenda. For now, nin9’s own words capture a team winning before it considers the rebuild finished, “We’re still not ready, but we’re winning.”
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Featured image credit: The Mongolz, edited by Strafe
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