Aleksandr "shalfey" Marenov is returning to professional Counter-Strike 2 after joining GamerLegion as the team's new in-game leader. The 24-year-old Russian player replaces Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski following the organization's failure to qualify for PGL Major Singapore 2026. In an interview with HLTV, shalfey discussed his extended break, the challenges of finding a team, and his expectations for the comeback.
GamerLegion have made a significant roster change ahead of the final months of the 2026 CS2 season. After missing out on the Singapore Major, the organization moved Snax to the inactive roster and signed shalfey as its new captain.
For Marenov, the move marks his return to professional competition after approximately 16 months without an active team. His previous stint with 9 Pandas ended when the organization benched its roster, leaving him searching for a new opportunity. Despite the extended absence, shalfey continued practicing individually and remained determined to resume his competitive career.
Spending more than a year without a permanent team proved difficult for shalfey, who admitted that the situation affected him mentally. During his interview with HLTV, the Russian player explained that several organizations had expressed interest in signing him. Potential opportunities included teams from Brazil, the United States, and China, but none of the negotiations resulted in a completed transfer.
Rather than focusing on unsuccessful deals, Marenov eventually decided to concentrate on individual practice and remain prepared for his next opportunity. His patience paid off when GamerLegion approached him about becoming their new in-game leader.
The opportunity came when GamerLegion's coach contacted Marenov directly to discuss the available captaincy position. Following negotiations, both sides reached an agreement. The move represents a new challenge for shalfey, who will lead an international roster for the first time in his career.
Although communicating in English requires some adjustment, the Russian player believes the language difference will not significantly affect his performance. Early practice sessions have also strengthened his confidence. According to Marenov, the players quickly developed a mutual understanding and share similar ideas about how Counter-Strike should be played.
"I was just excited by the feeling that this moment had come, the comeback moment," shalfey said.
The new captain hopes to establish himself as a long-term member of GamerLegion and help the organization improve its competitive results.
shalfey's first official tournament with GamerLegion will be RLG Tesla Cup 2026 in Belgrade, where the team is scheduled to face Envy in its opening match. However, GamerLegion will initially compete without Timur "FL4MUS" Marev, who is unavailable due to personal matters.
Assistant coach Denis "Grashog" Hristov will temporarily replace him in the starting lineup. FL4MUS could return during the tournament once his commitments are resolved. Despite the limited preparation time, shalfey remains optimistic about the team's prospects. He noted that even the first practice sessions with Grashog showed encouraging signs.
The new GamerLegion captain has ambitious expectations for his return to professional Counter-Strike. Rather than treating the remaining months of 2026 as a rebuilding period, Marenov wants his team to compete for victories from the beginning. He also believes GamerLegion have the potential to challenge for the RLG Tesla Cup title.
The upcoming tournament will provide the first opportunity to evaluate the team's progress under his leadership. After 16 months away from regular professional competition, shalfey finally has the chance to demonstrate his abilities again. For GamerLegion, his arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter following their unsuccessful Singapore Major qualification campaign.
CS2 came as an update for CS: GO, but it was also an entirely new game in the Counter-Strike series. It brought a variety of new features while keeping the essence of the game and all the elements that made fans fall in love with the series. But CS2 also made people switch from the old version of the game to a new one. Moreover, those who never had access to CS: GO can only download the new CS2 game from Steam. So, how to get CS2 access in 2024? Furthermore, is it available for everyone? We’ll get into all of that and more in the paragraphs below.
Finding the perfect skin for CS:GO, whether that’s for a knife or a rifle, can be difficult. With so many options, picking only one becomes quite challenging, especially considering the price tag. Let’s see the most expensive CS2 skin so you know what to expect if you want to go for rare skins.
To withdraw skins from Hellcase, players send trade requests directly from Hellcase to their Steam inventory. Hellcase doesn't do direct money transfers. To withdraw your cash from Hellcase, you'll need to use one of the many partnered third-party websites like ShadowPay. Both processes work as long as you follow the Steam trading rules, you have the right items, and your account is configured correctly.
![How to Withdraw Money & Skins from Hellcase: [year] Guide](/imgs/news_8527/20260114/cache/1768392230_15189d4fe9e844e0d85d___308_174.jpg "How to Withdraw Money & Skins from Hellcase: [year] Guide")