Moscow Five
Moscow Five (M5) was a Russian esports organization founded in 2001, specializing in competitive teams across multiple disciplines such as Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and League of Legends.[1][2] The organization rose to international prominence in the early 2010s, most notably through its League of Legends roster, which innovated aggressive playstyles—including unconventional support jungling—and secured a third-place finish at the 2012 Season 2 World Championship, alongside victories in regional qualifiers and tournaments like the European Regional Finals.[1][3] In Counter-Strike 1.6, Moscow Five earned medals at the World Cyber Games 2011, contributing to total organizational earnings exceeding $480,000 from 82 tournaments.[3][4] Despite these achievements, the team faced challenges in sustaining peak performance and eventually rebranded to Gambit Gaming in 2013, marking the decline of its original iteration.[5]Founding and Organizational History
Establishment and Early Development (2001–2010)
Moscow Five was established on May 5, 2001, as a Russian esports organization dedicated to competitive gaming.[2] The organization initially concentrated on popular titles including Counter-Strike 1.6, Warcraft III, FIFA, and DotA, reflecting the dominant esports landscape of the early 2000s.[6] From its inception, Moscow Five operated as a professional club aimed at assembling skilled players, with a primary focus on recruiting talent from Russia and surrounding regions to compete in multiplayer online battle arena and first-person shooter genres.[1] This structure enabled the team to participate in domestic and regional events, laying the groundwork for sustained operations across multiple disciplines without immediate international prominence.[3] During the 2001–2010 period, the organization's growth centered on building competitive rosters and securing prize money through performances in Eastern European tournaments, emphasizing measurable outcomes like earnings from Counter-Strike matches as indicators of viability.[7] These efforts established Moscow Five as a foundational entity in Russian esports, prioritizing empirical results over expansive branding in its formative years.[8]Expansion and Rebranding Efforts (2011–2013)
In December 2011, Moscow Five diversified into the burgeoning MOBA genre by recruiting the League of Legends roster from Team Empire, comprising players Alex Ich, Diamondprox, Darien, Genja, and GoSu Pepper, which enabled immediate entry into international competition such as IEM Cologne 6.[9] This acquisition represented a strategic pivot from the organization's Counter-Strike stronghold toward multi-game operations, leveraging Russian talent to target Western circuits and global prize pools. Concurrently, Moscow Five formalized its Dota 2 division earlier that year, assembling rosters that qualified for high-stakes events like The International 2011, where they secured earnings from group stage performances and subsequent qualifiers.[10] These expansions were bolstered by sponsorship integrations, such as the BenQ partnership that rebranded competitive lineups as M5.BenQ for tournaments including The International 2012, enhancing visibility and resource allocation for international travel and infrastructure.[11] By prioritizing recruitment of skilled Eastern European players and adapting to EU-focused leagues, the organization shifted from regional CIS dominance to broader competitive ecosystems, evidenced by consistent qualifications for multi-game events across 2011–2013. Total prize winnings across disciplines surpassed $480,000 by the end of 2013, underscoring the financial viability of this growth phase.[3] Structural adjustments, however, revealed strains in player management amid rapid scaling, including roster flux in Dota 2—where the primary lineup under PGG dissolved in 2012—and the demands of coordinating cross-border logistics for EU competition.[10] These efforts positioned Moscow Five at its operational peak, fostering innovations in team synergy that influenced global playstyles, though they exposed vulnerabilities in sustaining cohesion during the transition to professionalized Western standards.[12]Counter-Strike Division
Key Rosters and Tournament Participation
Moscow Five's Counter-Strike division began competing in Counter-Strike 1.6 shortly after the organization's founding on May 5, 2001, though early rosters remained relatively obscure with limited international exposure.[2] A pivotal lineup emerged in February 2011 upon acquiring players from Meet Your Makers, featuring Mikhail "Dosia" Stolyarov as in-game leader, Eduard "ed1k" Ivanov, and Sergey "Fox" Stolyarov as AWPer, alongside supporting players.[13] [14] This roster demonstrated competitive viability in regional and global events but faced challenges from roster flux and established Western squads like fnatic and SK Gaming. The 2011-2012 period marked peak participation, with the team qualifying for S-Tier internationals after dominating domestic qualifiers. Key results included:| Date | Tournament | Placement | Prize | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-09-04 | WCG 2011 - Russian Qualifier | 1st | $6,000 | Qualifier |
| 2011-11-21 | MSI Beat IT! Russia 2011 | 1st | $10,000 | A-Tier |
| 2011-12-11 | World Cyber Games 2011 | 3rd | $3,000 | S-Tier |
| 2012-01-22 | IEM VI Global Challenge Kyiv | 3rd | $4,500 | S-Tier |
| 2012-06-17 | DreamHack Summer 2012 | 5th-6th | - | S-Tier |