Nexus Gaming have ended the longest-standing identity in Romanian Counter-Strike. After 10 years of fielding exclusively Romanian rosters, the organisation has revealed a new international CS2 lineup blending two veteran Romanian players with three European additions.
The new lineup
Romanian core: Mihai ‘fNk’ Costache (IGL), Alexandru ‘s0und’ Ștefan. International additions: Sébastien ‘SBT’ Sabbadin (France), Roberts ‘shield’ Tipsis (Latvia, ex-9INE AWPer), Bram ‘Nexius’ Campana (Belgium, ex-MOUZ NXT / OG). Coach: Cătălin ‘H4rder’ Hardulea.
Why the pivot
The structural read is clear. Nexus opened 2025 close to the VRS top 20. By March 2026 they were outside the top 100 after a 21-24 finish at DraculaN Season 6. The Romanian-only identity stopped producing results, and the organisation’s own statement put it plainly: ‘Over the past 10 years, we have achieved great results… all while staying 100% Romanian. Now it is time for the international scene to give something back to us.’
The new pieces
shield arrives from 9INE after a short stint that ended when flayy displaced him in March. Nexius brings MOUZ NXT and OG tier-2 European experience. s0und has maintained a 1.07 HLTV rating since the start of 2025 — one of the few stable performers in the previous Nexus run. Whether the gamble translates to a return to the VRS top 100 remains the open question, but the project has officially entered a new era.
