Boombl4 says BetBoom are hiding Dust2 in Counter-Strike 2 vetoes

Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov said BetBoom are leaving Dust2 out of official play as part of veto mind games while the Counter-Strike 2 team try to keep another playoff run going.

BetBoom have reached the playoffs in four of the five notable events they have played in 2026, a run that has come while visa problems repeatedly forced changes to the roster. With the lineup settled again, Boombl4 said the team are trying to turn those results into something more stable rather than treating each event as a separate test.

“Right now we’re at the next step,” he said. “We’re playing not only for the Major, but we want to be like a tier-one, tier-two team who is reaching the playoffs more and more.”

Full roster back after visa issues

Boombl4 said the return of the full roster has changed the mood around the team. He described the current period as “happy time” for BetBoom because they have several tournaments coming in the next two months and finally have all five players available again.

That continuity matters for a team that has been close to the top eight often enough to show it can compete, but has not always had the same lineup in place from event to event. Boombl4 said BetBoom now want rhythm, not just isolated wins, and that the goal is to keep building toward the tier-one level over time.

He also pointed to the kind of opposition BetBoom want to see more often if they are going to keep climbing. Falcons, Vitality and Spirit were the examples he named when talking about the level of opponent that helps a team measure where it stands. The idea, he said, is to keep reaching playoffs against stronger teams and learn from those matches.

BetBoom also came into this event after three weeks without official matches. Boombl4 said that made the early rounds useful regardless of whether the team advanced 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 in Swiss. The priority, he said, was to feel the game and the competition again.

“We just want to feel the game and the competition,” he said.

That approach fits the wider shape of BetBoom’s year. Boombl4 said the current schedule gives the roster a chance to gain the experience they need, and that what they do now should help them next year. He framed the rest of 2026 as a stretch in which the team need to keep practicing, keep playing and see how far a stable roster can go.

Dust2 stays hidden in the veto

One of the most unusual parts of BetBoom’s recent run is that they have not played Dust2 or Inferno for the last three months. Boombl4 said that is deliberate, and that the team are using the veto to make life harder for opponents.

He said BetBoom have been using “mind games” in the veto phase, noting that the team had been “14-0 or something like this on Dust2” before the map disappeared from their recent official schedule. Now, with “zero maps” on Dust2 in the last three months, he said the situation is still fluid because more best-of-threes are coming.

That makes Dust2 a hidden part of BetBoom’s map pool rather than a forgotten one. Boombl4 did not say the team have abandoned it, only that they are choosing not to show it yet while best-of-three series become more important. The same is true of Inferno, which has also been absent from their recent official play.

The tactic gives BetBoom a little extra leverage in vetoes, especially if opponents have to prepare for a map they have not seen in months. Boombl4 said he does not know how long they will keep it up, but the point is clear: they want to preserve a map that has worked for them and decide later when to bring it back.

Map pool feels better for BetBoom

Boombl4 also said BetBoom feel more comfortable with the current map pool overall. He said Overpass has not been a map he likes, comparing it to Vertigo as a bad competition map, and added that teams need time to get comfortable on it.

Cache, by contrast, is a map he likes. He said he had played it at his first Major against Virtus.pro, though not as the in-game leader and not in the same positions he uses now. Even so, he said the experience makes him comfortable with the map and that the current pool is better for BetBoom than before.

The team’s approach to maps also reflects the way they are trying to manage form across the roster. With more official games coming after a three-week break, Boombl4 said the emphasis is on regaining match rhythm before worrying too much about specific series or individual numbers.

Individual form is a team issue

Boombl4 was also asked about zorte, who has had some difficult individual moments. He said BetBoom have not played enough official matches over the last three weeks to draw big conclusions about anyone’s level, and that when the team’s structure breaks down, any player can look off.

He included himself, Magnojez, zorte and S1ren in that group. In his view, the problem is not one player failing to carry the team; it is that without enough officials, the whole lineup can struggle to show its true level. If BetBoom play well as a unit, he said, then everyone can show up.

“If we play good like a team, everyone can show up,” Boombl4 said.

He gave a similar answer when asked about Magnojez, who has shown some tilt during the event. Boombl4 said it is normal for a player to react emotionally after “stupid mistakes,” and pointed to team errors rather than any larger issue behind those reactions.

That perspective matched the way he answered the final question about Aurora, BetBoom’s next opponent. Boombl4 said he was not focusing on one team in particular because CS2 and MR12 create a tournament where, as he put it, every team can beat every other team.

The next match will give BetBoom another chance to see whether their full roster can turn the recent playoff pattern into something steadier, while Dust2 remains hidden in reserve for the veto battle.