Team Liquid signs former M3C superstars to VALORANT roster as brothers depart

Team Liquid has signed multiple new VALORANT players to complete its roster for VCT 2023.

Liquid has added former M3C superstars Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin and in-game leader Igor “Redgar” Vlasov to its VALORANT roster, the org announced today. Alongside the duo, former Guild Esports player Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel has joined the team. 

The final two players on the Liquid roster will be Dom “soulcas” Sulcas and Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen, both of which have been on the team for over a year. Soulcas is the only player remaining from the original acquisition of the Fish123 roster by Liquid in August 2020. 

Multiple players have departed the team to make way for the signings. Brothers Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom and Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom are linked to moves to French organization Karmine Corp. Dmitriy “dimasick” Matvienko, who joined Liquid in August, has also been benched.

The major roster overhaul comes after Liquid finished in the top eight at VALORANT Champions in September. The team were the third-best in the EMEA region with both Fnatic and FunPlus Phoenix above Liquid in placement. 

Liquid are set to compete in the EMEA international league, which will begin next year. The 2023 VCT circuit will begin with a kick-off tournament, held in São Paulo, Brazil, which is set to feature all 30 partnered teams in a three-week-long event. 

The winner of the event will earn their respective region another spot at Masters later in the year.