Team Envy could be on the verge of a Counter-Strike comeback. Insider reporting from Sébastien ‘KRL’ Perez claims Envy have approached 3DMAX about a full roster buyout, with the goal of dropping the existing CS2 lineup directly into the org for a competitive return. As of writing, no transfer fee has been disclosed, no agreement is finalised, and neither side has issued a public statement.
Why 3DMAX
The 3DMAX roster — Maka, Lucky, misutaaa, Ex3rcice and Graviti — has been one of the more interesting Tier-2 to Tier-1 transitions of the year. Their stock has risen enough that earlier reporting linked them to Team Heretics, although those talks reportedly fell through. Envy stepping in fits a wider 2026 trend: established brands buying ready-made rosters rather than scouting from raw talent.
The Envy comeback strategy
The deal aligns with public statements from Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail, who has said the organisation is ‘already scouting to bring a CS team back to Envy’ and looking for ‘the right opportunity to return to Counter-Strike Majors.’ For an org with the DreamHack Open Cluj 2015 trophy and an ESL One Cologne 2015 final on the wall, a Tier-1-ready roster is the cleaner re-entry than a multi-year rebuild.
What to watch
Three signals will confirm or kill this: official statements from Envy or 3DMAX, individual player social media posts, and any roster-management filings on the player transfer side. If the deal goes through, it’s one of the more notable 2026 entries into competitive CS2 — and immediately reshapes the European Tier-1 conversation.
