Qikert Takes the Helm: Virtus.pro Star Joins Into the Breach as In-Game Leader

Kazakhstani sharpshooter Alexey "Qikert" Golubev is set to assume leadership responsibilities for Into the Breach, taking over from Thomas "Thomas" Utting. Into the Breach has officially welcomed Qikert to their roster on a three-month loan deal, with the option to purchase his contract. The former Virtus.pro rifler will be stepping into the role of in-game leader following Thomas's decision to step back from the team.

For Into the Breach, this acquisition signifies a move towards stability after a turbulent summer that saw the departure of their British core consisting of Sebastian "volt" Maloș, Cai "CYPHER" Watson and Thomas, just three months after their impressive performance at the BLAST.tv Paris Major. The European mix briefly included Adam "NEOFRAG" Zouhar but later removed him from the roster, eventually replacing him with Kévin "misutaaa" Rabier.

Qikert made the decision to step back from Virtus.pro's active roster in August, citing the team's failure to qualify for the Paris Major as a contributing factor. His most recent appearance was at Gamers8 2023, where he helped the Russian squad secure a victory against FaZe before being eliminated by G2 in the second knockout round.

This move marks a significant change for Qikert, as it will be his first experience outside his home region in over six years. He began his professional career with LOG, a team that was later acquired by AVANGAR and then Virtus.pro. Notably, he achieved victory at the IEM Rio Major 2022 with Virtus.pro's core under the Outsiders banner.

Neil "NeiL_M" Murphy, Into the Breach's team manager, expressed the team's ambitions, stating, "Signing a player of Qikert's caliber alongside the signings of misutaaa & Bymas shows how big our ambitions are coming into CS2. All three players have multiple tier 1 playoff runs & we fully believe with this five that the team will reach the highest level in CS2. We hope our fans who support our Paris run will continue to support this new chapter in ITB!"

Qikert also shared his excitement about joining an international team, saying, "I always wanted to try myself in an international team, and this opportunity puts a lot of responsibility on my shoulders that I’m more than ready for. I can’t wait to start practicing with the team and feel myself alive again".