MAD Lions returns to VALORANT with North American lineup

MAD Lions is back in VALORANT with the acquisition of Dark Ratio, an orgless team who qualified for North America Challengers Split one.

The roster, according to a press release from MAD Lions’ parental company OverActive Media today, consists of Adam “Ange” Milian, Justin “Trick” Sears, Taylor “drone” Johnson, Anthony “ZexRow” Colandro, William “Will” Cheng, and the head coach Jornen “MoonChopper” Nishiyama. They fought their way through the open qualifier and finished top four, securing a spot in the NA VALORANT Challengers League, which also features prominent teams such as G2, TSM, Disguised, and FaZe Clan.

“We’re thrilled to join this exclusive group of talented players and notable organizations for the NA League’s inaugural season,” OverActive Media’s chief strategy officer Adam Adamou said. “VALORANT is today’s fastest-growing esport and we’re proud to have made it through the competition.”

MAD Lions originally entered the VALORANT scene in April 2022 with the signing of a European roster consisting of Jack “Br0die” Emmott, Calum “KRAY” Knight, Niko “polvi” Polvinen, Alexandre “xms” Forté, and Domagoj “Doma” Fancev. The organization and players, however, parted ways after MAD Lions didn’t secure a spot in the franchised league.

Drone and crew only dropped one series to Stewie2K’s team The Nation in the open qualifier for NA VALORANT Challengers League. They defeated Tufts VaLULrant, UMD Premier, Ignite Beyound, Perfect World, Division 0, 99 Strenght, NSIC, Rat Attack, and at last The Nation to qualify for the first edition of the Challengers tournament in North America. OverActive Media is excited to be back at VALORANT with the former Dark Ratio roster.

“VALORANT is the perfect addition to our existing esports teams and we’re excited to help bring the League to the Canadian marketplace,” OverActive Media’s chief commercial officer Alyson Walker said. “We’re confident expanding into VALORANT will drive significant viewership while creating opportunities to engage with a new community of fans.”

The first split of the NA VALORANT Challengers League will run from Feb. 1 to March 17. MAD Lions are slated to face TSM in their first match on Feb. 2 at 3pm CT.