M80 benches Reck in roster shake-up following Austin Major setback
M80, a prominent North American Counter-Strike 2 team, has announced a significant roster change by moving long-time player Ethan 'reck' Serrano to the bench.
cs216The decision marks the end of a two-year run in the starting lineup for Reck, who joined the organisation in July 2023 after a brief stint with South African side ATK.
Reck played a pivotal role in several of M80's key victories, including their 2025 title win at the Ace North American Masters Spring and a notable win over NRG in the ESL Challenger League Season 48 in late 2024.
However, the team has recently struggled on the international stage, finishing outside the top 22 at the BLAST.tv Austin Major and failing to advance from Stage 2. Their current Valve Regional Standings (VRS) rank of 47th leaves them just outside the top 32.
Replacing Reck is former NRG player Jadan 'HexT' Postma, who will make his debut with M80 at Fragadelphia 19 on 17 July. The 35,000-dollar event will be the first opportunity to assess the new lineup's chemistry.
M80's shake-up follows a broader trend among North American teams after a disappointing showing at the Austin Major. Wildcard, another underperforming team, recently added Sebastian 'fr3nd' Kuśmierz and Jaxo 'Peeping' Cornwell.
With the Budapest Major looming in November 2025 and the Americas region allocated just five slots across three stages, M80 must show strong form in the second half of the year to stay in contention for qualification.
