Luminosity Is Back In CS2 After 7 Years Away
Luminosity has announced its return to the competitive CS2 team, having signed the roster core from Monte, and backed it up with IGL Lucas “lux” Meneghini, formerly of Legacy. The team brings its Monte ranking with it, which means Luminosity jumps straight back in in the top 20 in VRS rankings.
The new Luminosity team is already in action, in the XSE Pro League Guangzhou, where it lost its first two matches, to Nemesis (10-13) and Lynn Vision (8-13). They play Ninjas in Pyjamas next.
Luminosity Back
Founded in 2015 by Canadian Steve Maida, Luminosity Gaming peaked in 2016 when it won the MLG Major Championship, DreamHack Open Austin, and the ESL Pro League Season 3.
In 2019, it was bought by Enthusiast Gaming in a deal that valued the organization at nearly $20 million CAD. In 2025, Luminosity was sold to Vertiqal Studios for $900,000 CAD, and Maida bought the company back for an initial $300,000 CAD in January 2026.
On the purchase, Maida said: “After retiring in 2021 and watching Luminosity it was always my goal to one day buy it back and put LG where it belongs — where it all started — Counter-Strike.
“Today I couldn’t be happier to finally announce that day has come with the signing of the Monte core and lux as our in-game leader. So many things and people had to come together to make this happen, including our participation at XSE.
“When we were evaluating entry points back into the scene, the opportunity to sign the core as free agents presented itself. We believe fully in this team and their success at Cologne proved we bet right.
“It’s only the begining for this squad and we’re excited to see them grow to new hieghts. We want to thank Monte ownership for coordinating the buyout of Rainwaker.”
The Roster
Monte had a somewhat disappointing run at PGL Astana earlier this year, failing to progress beyond the group stage, and were eliminated with a 2-3 record. The team beat magic and The Huns, but lost to FURIA, Team Falcons, and G2.
However, they did fare better at IEM Cologne. They entered at stage 2 and proceeded to beat BIG, Legacy, and paiN Gaming. While they did lose to G2 and BetBoom, their 3-2 record saw Luminosity move on to stage 3 where they were sent home with a 1-3 record.
Luminosity has taken the core of the roster from Monte, leaving Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen behind. The Brit looks likely to move to 100 Thieves, where he will take on the mantle of IGL.
In his stead, Luminosity has signed Lucas “lux” Meneghini. Lux previously led the line for Legacy, but was benched after IEM Krakow, when the Brazilian CS2 team failed to win a single game in the run-in. The team formally announced lux’s departure on June 30.
Luminosity is currently playing in the XSE pro league, Guangzhou, and is listed to participate in the EWC 2026 CS2 tournament.
