HLTV | Counter-Strike News

When asked for a comment, 🇺🇦 Monte came back to HLTV with the following:

"Those who violated the terms of their contracts were fined. The claims about 'tens of thousands of dollars' are simply a complete lie. "As for the new sticker system, we can argue about it for a long time. But saying that we owe them the stickers isn’t accurate either. It really depends on how you look at it — who actually owes whom. "And regarding payment delays — yes, they did happen, but they were not caused by us. There were delays with transfer payments, sponsorship payments, etc. Everyone was always informed about the situation, and none of the players ever personally told me that they were unhappy or had any complaints."

📣 Aurimas "⁠Bymas⁠" Pipiras has taken to X to accuse his former organization, Monte, of unfulfilled payment obligations and a history of late payments. The Lithuanian, who left Monte after a year-long service in early July to join Luminosity, claims he is owed "tens of thousands of dollars" from missed salary, prize money and bonus payments, in addition to a share of the team sticker from the still-ongoing IEM Cologne Major sale.

"Multiple former players and the coach are also still owed substantial amounts, to my knowledge," he added.

The X post came just minutes after Monte released a YouTube video in which its CEO, Dmytro Vovk, called out Bymas, Aurélien "⁠afro⁠" Drapier and Oscar "⁠AZUWU⁠" Bell and their agents for the manner in which the trio left the organization to join Luminosity. The Ukrainian implied the players kept the organization and teammate Jack "⁠Gizmy⁠" von Spreckelsen in the dark about having signed with Luminosity prior to the IEM Cologne Major, while negotiations over contract extensions with Monte were ongoing.

A masterclass from YEKINDAR to end the opening day of BLAST Porto 🇱🇻🔥

🇧🇷 FURIA make quick work of 🇧🇷 paiN on their BLAST Porto debut

Man of the Match performance from JBa 👑🇺🇸

📸🇺🇸 M80 react to the upset win at BLAST

🇺🇸 M80 start their BLAST Porto run with a huge win as they reverse sweep 🇺🇦 NAVI

🇺🇸 M80 take 🇺🇦 NAVI to a third map after snatching Mirage

🇹🇷 FUT have renewed the contracts of Dmytro "⁠dem0n⁠" Myroshnychenko, András "⁠coolio⁠" Fercsák, and Džiugas "⁠dziugss⁠" Steponavičius in the wake of their rise to number three on the VRS. The Turkish organization did not give an update on the contracts of Aulon "⁠Krabeni⁠" Fazlija or Nikita "⁠cmtry⁠" Samolotov, who joined from NAVI at the same time as the now-extended trio.

Untouchable across the series 🤯

🐲 Spirit get the job done against DENDELE in their Porto opener

🇸🇪 Ninjas in Pyjamas are scouring the market for new IGLs as they will replace Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer after a run of mixed results, multiple sources told HLTV and Dust2 Brasil. HLTV understands that the decision to bring in a new IGL was mutual, and that Snappi had previously said he would step down from the roster if the organization wished to go in a different direction. Sources added that the 36-year-old is open to transitioning to a new role within the scene. According to Dust2 Brasil, MIBR turned down Ninjas in Pyjamas' offer for Linus "⁠LNZ⁠" Holtäng, who has been with the Brazilian organization since January.

A standout map and his best yet for G2 🔥

🗡 G2 string together nine straight rounds to seal the 2-0 over 🇷🇺 Aurora

🇦🇷 BESTIA has announced the departure of Tomas "⁠tomaszin⁠" Corna, who is reportedly bound for 🇧🇷 MIBR as a replacement for Breno "⁠brnz4n⁠" Poletto. tomaszin spent over three years playing for BESTIA, where he averaged a 1.16 rating and helped secure a title victory at DraculaN Season 4. The 22-year-old rifler gained international attention when he dominated at the Perfect World Shanghai Major Americas RMR with a 1.42 rating over nine maps, only for BESTIA to exit the RMR with a 2-3 record. He was previously targeted by Legacy in the summer off-season after the organization failed to secure the signing of Felipe "⁠insani⁠" Yuji, whom he is expected to join forces with on MIBR. Negotiations between Legacy and BESTIA were stalled after Vinicius "⁠n1ssim⁠" Pereira returned to the former team's active roster.

"There are players who leave a lifelong mark, and without a doubt, tomaszin is one of them," BESTIA said in its announcement. "Today, we have to part ways — we'll stop being your teammates to become your #1 fans as you shine and chase your dreams."

Will Spirit collect another trophy? 👀🏆 According to Thunderpick, the EWC champions and new HLTV No. 1 are the main favorites to win the upcoming BLAST Open Porto

🔞 18+ Gamble Responsibly

🇧🇷 Luminosity has announced the signing of Simon "⁠yxngstxr⁠" Boije from HEROIC, bringing its active roster back up to full strength after moving Aurimas "⁠Bymas⁠" Pipiras to the bench on Monday. yxngstxr will be happy to find a permanent home after spending the first half of 2026 in limbo, having been moved to HEROIC's bench at the start of the year before returning to the roster as an AWPer while the organization worked to resolve Alimzhan "⁠Alkaren⁠" Bitimbay's visa issues. As their interim sniper, the Swede averaged a 1.00 rating, helped HEROIC qualify for Stage 1 of the IEM Cologne Major, and secured title victories at DraculaN Season 5 and Stake Ranked Episode 3. Luminosity is now: 🇧🇬 Aleks "⁠Rainwaker⁠" Petrov 🇫🇷 Aurélien "⁠afro⁠" Drapier 🇧🇷 Lucas "⁠lux⁠" Meneghini 🇬🇧 Oscar "⁠AZUWU⁠" Bell 🇸🇪 Simon "⁠yxngstxr⁠" Boije 🇦🇹 Alexander "⁠kakafu⁠" Szymanczyk (coach)

Tier-one Counter-Strike will be back again tomorrow at BLAST Open Porto 2026 🔜 The tournament will feature 9 out of the 10 best-ranked teams in the world by HLTV. You can find its schedule here

🇧🇷 Luminosity have confirmed the signing of Alexander "⁠kakafu⁠" Szymanczyk as the team's head coach. The Austrian tactician already stood behind the team at XSE Pro League Guangzhou and the Esports World Cup, and has now been officially announced as a member of the team. kakafu was part of the Monte roster that attended the IEM Cologne Major before departing for Luminosity without their IGL Jack "⁠Gizmy⁠" von Spreckelsen, and now officially reunites with his former teammates. Luminosity are now: 🇧🇬 Aleks "⁠Rainwaker⁠" Petrov 🇫🇷 Aurélien "⁠afro⁠" Drapier 🇧🇷 Lucas "⁠lux⁠" Meneghini 🇬🇧 Oscar "⁠AZUWU⁠" Bell 🇦🇹 Alexander "⁠kakafu⁠" Szymanczyk (coach)

Spirit are off to an impressive start this season, but will they remain at the top? 🧐 Read about their EWC triumph and the upcoming BLAST Porto in the latest HLTV newsletter ✉️