K23 Transfer List Xsepower and FinigaN

CIS Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad, K23, have announced on Monday, October 17, that in-game leader Vladislav “FinigaN” Usov and AWPer Bogdan “xsepower” Chernikov were benched from the active lineup. This sees K23 depleted to just three active players as the team looks to make roster changes.

K23 benched its AWPer xsepower and in-game leader FinigaN on Monday and put the duo on the transfer list. The news follows K23’s failed run through Intel Extreme Masters Road to Rio 2022: European RMR B, where they placed ninth-11th and failed to qualify for the IEM Rio Major.

“Starting October 17th, Bogdan “xsepower” Chernikov and Vladislav “FinigaN” Usov are benched. The club is open for transfer offers regarding the players,” read the announcement.

Despite failing to qualify for the Major, K23 had a solid run in the European RMR B. They started the tournament with a loss to Team Falcons (9-16), bounced back with a 16-13 victory against HEET, and suffered another defeat against MOUZ (10-16).

In the fourth round, K23 took down Monte (2-0) and kept their dreams of qualifying for the Major alive. But, unfortunately, they got denied their ticket for Brazil by BIG, who bested them 2-1 in overtime and eliminated the CIS squad from the RMR.

Notably, this was the second Major tournament K23 have missed this year after failing to qualify for PGL Antwerp Major earlier this year. Shortly after, K23 rebuilt its roster with the signing of Timur “clax” Sabirov, Konstantin “Raijin” Trubarov, and FinigaN, yet even with the latest additions, K23 did not make the cut.

Besides failing to qualify for the Major, K23 have achieved some success in the second half of 2022. They placed second at PARI WHITE NIGHT LAN, fourth at 1xBet Series, and reached the European RMR B with a runner-up finish in the second open qualifiers.

But outside of their occasional flashes of greatness, K23 have been largely underwhelming this season. The team currently sits in the 44th spot in the global CS:GO rankings, far below their peak (14th) in February 2022.

As revealed on Monday, FinigaN and xsepower were both benched and transfer listed by K23, who seek to rebuild its CS:GO division. AWPer Xsepower is one of the longest-serving members of K23 (besides Daniil “X5G7V” Maryshev), who joined the team in October 2021 and has been an active player of K23 ever since.

Throughout his one-year-long stay with K23, he has averaged a 1.09 performance rating and a 59.4% map win rate, leading the team to several tournament titles. Most notably, he was a part of the roster, which peaked at no.14 in the global CS:GO rankings at the start of 2022.

Moreover, xsepower helped K23 place second at Malta Vibes Knockout Series #5 and won Pinnacle Winter Series #1 in January-February. Just a month later, xsepower also led K23 to titles at Thunderpick Bitcoin Series ESEA Season 40: Advanced Division – Europe, as the final two tournament titles K23 won by the end of 2022.

Meanwhile, FinigaN joined K23 in July 2022 as a replacement for Sanzhar “neaLaN” Iskhakov, who left for Evil Geniuses. However, he hasn’t achieved much throughout his short stint with the CIS organization. His most notable accomplishment with K23 remains qualifying for European RMR B, from which K23 crashed out with a 2-3 record.

It remains to be see who K23 will bring in to replace FinigaN and xsepower; however, with many teams parting ways with their players lately, K23 will have plenty of options, including from the CIS region. More information should follow in the coming weeks when K23 should unveil its plans for the future.