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Imperial CS2 Team Review

Imperial is a Brazilian esports organization. They’re no strangers to the scene: Imperial CSGO launched in 2018, and the club itself focuses specifically on Counter-Strike. Imperial has abandoned experiments with other games; instead, they have two teams in CS: today, they maintain a rather effective Imperial female CS2 lineup.

Imperial peaked in 2022-2023, when the organization signed its all-star roster of Brazilian esports icons, nicknamed “The Last Dance.” Today, the team’s performance has declined, and in our new MelBet Pick’em analysis, we explore what happened.

Imperial History

2018 was the year Imperial was born. This club was initially created for Counter-Strike, but expansion was quick: in 2019, the all-female Imperial CSGO Valkyries team was formed, followed by Valorant and Crossfire rosters. The club didn’t have much success in other games, but both CS teams demonstrated excellence – the main and all-female squads excelled in the Brazilian arena, also showing strong results globally.

Imperial CS was originally conceived as a Brazilian national team. And so it turned out – over the years, the main CS team has consisted exclusively of Brazilians, with very few exceptions. Meanwhile, other squads, such as the Imperial CS2 women’s roster, are international.

Imperial Founders

The idea for a new Brazilian esports team came from felippe1, aka Felipe Martins, a Brazilian esports player and former paiN Gaming player. In 2018, Martins (then 24) had already retired from playing seven years earlier and hadn’t even coached for over three years – but he still had big plans for his beloved game.

On March 9, 2018, he and his partner, Bruno Martins, registered an organization for the future Imperial CSGO team. As of 2025, Felipe Martins will remain CEO of Imperial.

Imperial Initial Roster

Since founder felippe1, despite being an experienced player, had already retired from professional esports by 2018, he had to work hard to find and assemble a worthy team. The first Imperial CSGO roster appeared in September 2018, six months after the organization’s founding. It consisted of players from other Brazilian teams, two from Yeah Gaming, and three from Santos e-Sports (both now defunct):

During its few months of existence, this lineup played primarily in regional C-tier tournaments, with varying success. However, there were some breakthroughs: for example, in just the second month of its existence, the team won the WESG 2018 Brazil qualifier. This allowed the team to attend its first global S-tier tournament, the World Electronic Sports Games 2018, where, unfortunately, the team finished a distant 17th-23rd.

As a result, just seven months after its launch, the management rebooted the team, replacing all the players (Keyd Stars soon signed almost all of them). However, dzt, SHOOWTiME, and zqk would soon return. The latter two would even spend another two years with the team.

Imperial Current Roster

Today, in October 2025, it’s safe to say the team has fallen from its peak. Imperial CS achieved its peak results and the potential to compete strongly in the global top 20 in 2022. Today, the team has fallen back to Tier 2. Today, the Imperial CS2 roster consists of:

The team’s mainstay is, of course, VINI, the only remaining player from the club’s 2022-2023 golden roster. Chelo, a former FURIA, BOOM, and MIBR player, is equally skilled. They set the pace and guide the rest of the players, along with Rafael “zakk” Fernandes, an experienced coach with over 10 years in the role.

However, despite all this experience, the team hasn’t shown much success yet. For example, fans were left disappointed at the 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major, finishing only 28th overall.

Imperial Tournament Achievements

Over the years, Imperial CS has repeatedly put up a fight against strong opponents. However, they have only won the coveted gold medal at world-class tournaments once. As of 2025, their track record includes one prize place at S-tier and four at A-tier. Here is a list of their major achievements:

The CS Imperial team also received a record-breaking payout for first place at the B-tier tournament FiReLEAGUE Buenos Aires 2025 – $50,000.

Imperial Legends

It’s logical to look for the team’s true legends at the height of their glory—the era of “The Last Dance.” This is what fans dubbed the 2022-2023 roster, made up of celebrated veterans of the Brazilian CS scene: FalleN, fer, fnx, boltz, and VINI. Its centerpiece, of course, was captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo. He is the greatest Brazilian CS player, having won two Majors. He led the gold-medal team and took bronze at BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023.

Another player, perhaps even more important for the Imperial CS2 team, is VINI, who has proven incredibly loyal to his last team. Previously, he played for various FURIA Esports rosters for many years, including a first-place finish in the ESL Pro League in 2020. He has been playing for the Imperial CS2 squad for the past three and a half years, and is undoubtedly its strongest unit.

Imperial Upcoming Tournaments

The Imperial CS unit has already been invited to Stage 1 of the Winter Major – StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, along with 15 other CS teams from the Americas. This is a chance for the team to improve its negative rating, given its poor results at the Summer Major in Austin. Their best result is 9th-11th place in 2022, but their current goal is to at least reach the top 20. It’s likely that CS2 Imperial will also continue to play in B-tier tournaments CS2 – where, incidentally, they often win.

FAQ

When was Imperial founded?

The Brazilian club Imperial CS was founded in 2018. That same year, they formed their first roster, the Imperial CSGO team. They entered the scene in September 2018. The following year, the team competed in their first S-tier event.

What is the current Imperial CS2 roster?

As of October 2025, the Imperial CS2 roster consists of Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo, Kaiki “noway” Santos, Santino “try” Regal, Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes, and the latest addition, Felipe “skullz” Medeiros, who joined the team in August 2025.

What is Imperial’s position in the global CS2 ranking?

The Imperial CS2 team is far from its peak today – they occupy 29th place in the Valve rankings and only 43rd in the HLTV rankings. Their best performances, however, are 11th and 14th places, respectively (their bests will be in 2022 and 2024).

Who is the captain of Imperial?

For the past two years, CS2 Imperial has been captained by Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo, a true club legend and the roster’s strongest link. He took over from scene-star FalleN, his teammate who left for FURIA, and strives to maintain a high standard.

Who is the coach of Imperial?

The current coach is Rafael “zakk” Fernandes, a true veteran of the scene who began his career back in 2008. In his 10 years as a coach (including about 3 years at Imperial CS), the current roster is his sixth team under his leadership.

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