The MongolZ have announced an academy roster, competing in Counter-Strike 2. The organisation, who were recently runners-up at the BLAST.tv Austin Major, has one of the youngest rosters in tier one Counter-Strike, but is aiming to develop yet more young talent in their native Mongolia.
Announcing a roster at a “homecoming” event following their Austin Major run, the even younger roster competed against their senior counterparts at the celebration of Counter-Strike in Ulaanbaatar.
Mongolia’s passion for Counter-Strike
With a population of only 3.5 million, roughly half of which live in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is one of the least densely populated nations on Earth.
Despite a low population, the prevalence of Gaming Cafes and the LAN tournaments attached to them fostered a culture of Counter-Strike that led to the initial generation of The MongolZ breaking through to international tournaments and inspiring the generation we see now.
One such example of that culture was elucidated by The MongolZ Twitter/XUsukhbayar “910” Banzragch during the major, explaining that he had to travel hundreds of miles simply to compete at LAN, with only enough money to buy a one-way ticket, “Winning was a necessity.”
During the Grand Final, The MongolZ’s X account shared videos of several public gatherings in Mongolia to watch the match. A startling scene, the watch parties were made even more awe-inspiring due to Mongolia’s timezone, with the contest starting at 3:30 AM local time and running until 6:46 AM.
After an incredible run at the BLAST.tv Major, seeing the unbelievable support The MongolZ have and their cultural impact, it would be no surprise if Mongolia, despite its small population, produces some of Counter-Strike’s most exciting talents in the near future.
Why are more Counter-Strike teams getting academy rosters?
Academy rosters have been an especially prevalent aspect of the esport since 2021, when the WePlay Academy League saw players like Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov, Ádám ‘torzsi’ Torzsás, or Dorian ‘xertioN’ Berman pass through its gates. Academy rosters hope to develop talent and promote or sell that talent at a significant profit, as with Spirit Academy selling Maksim ‘kyousuke’ Lukin to Falcons.
Recently, VRS has triggered an acceleration in investing in academy rosters due to the additional incentives of developing in-house talent. Valve Regional Standings (VRS) attaches a team’s ranking to its core, meaning teams can only change two players at a time without losing their ranking.
With rosters changing more gradually, the buyouts to force changes have inflated. If a team has already sold two players, in selling a third, the value of the sale would have to exceed the value of their rank to the organisation. Promoting a young star from the academy then becomes a more attractive proposition when faced with prohibitive costs elsewhere.
Additionally, academy teams themselves can become ranked by participating in Valve-ranked events, and the value of that core’s rank can vastly inflate their sell-on value.
For example, Na’Vi Junior’s roster is currently ranked #27 in the Valve Global Standings. An organisation signing the roster would automatically secure the org invites to prestigious events, and put them within touching distance of qualifying for the second major of the year, the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
Faced with the alternative of grinding their way up the ladder with another roster, teams will be looking at Na’Vi Junior’s roster as a fast-track to their organisational goals, vastly inflating their value in the market and to the Natus Vincere organisation.
The MongolZ announcement comes at a time when rumours are swirling regarding the establishment of a FaZe academy team, allegedly to be coached by recent NiP Impact Coach, and former NaToSaphiX. The Dane coached Brit Mia ‘aiM’ Cooper to the semi-finals of ESL Impact Season 7, defeating Imperial Valkyries in the playoffs before falling to Supernova Comets.
The MongolZ Academy roster is:
Sanchirbileg “CXIX” Ulziibadrakh
Munkhtamir “ghetto” Munkhbayar
Zolbayar “t!kuak” Chimedtseren
Irmuun “IruX” Gankhuyag
Itgel “HAKAIII8” Tsogtbayar
Ulambayar “rifle” Dolgor (coach)
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Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.