Version1 has officially parted ways with VALORANT player member Loic “effys” Sauvageau today, who up until now was the final member of the team’s VCT roster still under contract.
Effys officially enters free agency, and Version1 appears ready to enter a new era of VALORANT competition, with their new reported star-studded Game Changers roster under the VersionX banner potentially at the helm.
Over the past few months, multiple V1 VALORANT players have moved on from the organization. Coach Ian “Immi” Harding and players Erik Penny and Maxim “wippie” Shepelev joined G2 alongside former Sentinels superstar duo Michael “dapr” Gulino and Shahzeb “ShahZam” Khan.
Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, who briefly returned to the V1 org after a short stint with Sentinels at the 2022 NA Last Chance Qualifier, joined Cloud9 at the beginning of this offseason alongside superstar Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker.
Despite not carrying the same brand recognition as other orgs competing in NA VALORANT, Version1 remained in the top echelon of the region across two years, and is just one of a handful of organizations to have reached an international VCT event. Effys is just one of a few NA free agents such as Marved or Will that have international VCT experience.
As for Version1 and their involvement in VALORANT, signs and reports point towards the org making their VersionX Game Changers roster the new focal point. The org is reportedly bringing in an entire new VersionX roster, led by some of the most talented players in all of NA including a dynamic former C9 White duo: Melanie “meL” Campone, Alexis Guarrasi, Ava “florescent” Eugene, Nicole “Noia” Tierce, and Sarah Simpson.
Aside from being a top NA Game Changers roster on paper, there’s nothing stopping the VersionX team from competing in the open qualifiers of the NA VALORANT Challengers League, meaning a run towards Ascension is certainly within the realm of possibility for this reported roster.
When asked for comment about their 2023 VALORANT plans, a spokesperson for Version1 said the organization is still working through their plans, and that an update will be presented in the next couple weeks.
