m0NESY confirmed he had an offer from Cloud9

Rituraj Halder Published August 7, 2026

During a recent live stream with popular Russian content creator Buster, Counter-Strike esports star Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov confirmed that he had indeed received an official transfer offer from Cloud9 back in 2023.

If the transaction had gone through at the time, it easily would have been one of the most influential transfer moves in modern Counter-Strike history. The transfer would have completely reshaped the competitive hierarchy in the CIS region and altered the trajectory of both organizations.

What was the Cloud9 offer to mONESY?

In 2023, Cloud9 was actively assembling what fans used to call a CIS “superteam” after acquiring former NAVI stars Denis “electroNic” Sharipov and Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy. However, the squad famously operated without a traditional primary AWPer following the eventual benching of Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov.

While many rumors circulated online about how Cloud9 tried to acquire m0NESY from G2 Esports to fill that exact sniper role, neither side had officially confirmed the move until m0NESY himself confirmed during Buster’s stream that an offer was indeed made.

Ultimately, G2 declined to sell their star AWPer, leaving Cloud9 to experiment with a rifle-heavy, AWP-less setup that struggled to find its footing in the long run. 

How m0NESY could have transformed Cloud9

Had m0NESY joined Cloud9 in 2023, it could have fundamentally resolved the severe structural flaws that plagued the roster.

Cloud9 spent months forcing natural riflers like Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov and Abay “HObbit” Khassenov onto the Big Green, which frequently caused mid-round calls to stall and created awkward role conflicts across the squad. 

Adding a natural like m0NESY would have provided world-class firepower on the primary sniper rifle, allowing the team’s riflers to play their natural positions without micromanaging defensive sightlines.

Furthermore, pairing m0NESY’s fragging skills alongside electroNic and Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov at their peak would have created an unstoppable CIS core with one of the highest skill ceilings in Counter-Strike history. 

By establishing passive map control through an elite AWPer, Cloud9 could have unlocked its true tactical potential instead of relying on compromised, makeshift lineups.

Since breaking onto the scene with NAVI Junior as a 14-year-old phenomenon, m0NESY has rapidly transformed from a hyped prospect into one of the most dominant players in Counter-Strike. 

After joining G2 Esports in early 2022, he went on to win IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, and the BLAST Premier World Final, consistently being regarded as amongst the best CS2 players in the world. 

Featured image credit: Valve