Look Sports Media – BIG has officially announced the acquisition of Gleb "gr1ks" Gazin, formerly of Heroic, signaling a strategic shift for the German organization towards English in-game communication. This move sees gr1ks replacing Marcel "hyped" Köhn, marking the end of the German AWPer’s second stint with the team.
gr1ks’ brief tenure with Heroic was tumultuous, encompassing only 17 maps before his benching in early August. Heroic released a statement acknowledging the unsuccessful integration, stating that "Not all the pieces we put together have fit as well as we hoped, and we take full responsibility for that." They further expressed support for coach Tobias "TOBIZ" Theo, citing stylistic differences as the core issue. Alkajan "alkarenn" Batyrbekov from Spirit Academy replaced gr1ks, but Heroic failed to qualify for the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
gr1ks himself stated that his desired playstyle did not align with Heroic’s vision. Prior to joining BIG, he maintained his competitive edge through a loan to GUN5, competing in Tier 2/3 Counter-Strike.
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BIG is acquiring a player who is match-ready and aware of his own tendencies. gr1ks is known for his aggressive AWPing style, a high-risk, high-reward approach in modern Counter-Strike. While players like Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov demonstrate the potential impact of aggressive AWPers, consistency at the top level has proven challenging for others. The recent emergence of players like Liquid’s Roland "Ultimate" Tomkowiak highlights the initial success of aggressive playstyles, but also the rapid adaptation by opponents in the Tier 1 scene.
BIG’s current position outside the top tier may provide a more forgiving environment for gr1ks to develop his aggressive style. However, the transition to English communication presents a significant challenge. The roster still consists of four German players and a German coach, Sebastian "xenn" Hoch. BIG has previously accommodated English-speaking players like Owen "smooya" Butterfield and Mateusz "mantuu" Wilczewski, but this mid-season change will require a substantial adjustment from all involved.
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