The first year of the VALORANT Champions Tour is almost over and teams are already making adjustments ahead of the 2022 season. With VCT Champions fast approaching, many players are looking to find new homes on updated rosters and come back stronger for the next year.
Here’s a breakdown of all the major VALORANT roster moves so far.
North America
100 Thieves
Nov. 12: FrosT leaves
100 Thieves let of coach Hector “FrosT” Rosario after the team failed to qualify for VCT Champions. A third-place finish at the Last Chance Qualifier in October didn’t suffice
Dec. 6: Steel transfers to T1
Joshua “steel” Nissan officially transferred from 100 Thieves to T1. Steel is the team’s new in-game leader.
Dec. 7: nitr0 parts ways with 100T
Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella parted ways with 100 Thieves amid reports he intends to return to CS:GO. “As we continue to reshape our VALORANT roster for the future, we are announcing the transfer of Nitr0,” 100 Thieves said in a post on social media.
Jan. 9: seven leaves
100 Thieves said goodbye to 16-year-old Johann “seven” Hernandez, who joined the team as a substitute in September 2021.
Andbox
Nov. 5: Signs mummAy
After undergoing a grueling two-month trial period, Anthony “mummAy” DiPaolo joined Andbox alongside Daniel “vice” Kim, Aleksandar Hinojosa, Adam “mada” Pampuch, and Chris “pl1xx” Li.
Dec. 1: aleksandar leaves
Andbox parted ways with Aleksandar Hinojosa just three months after acquiring the player from Evil Geniuses in September. The team is now seemingly undergoing a roster reshuffle ahead of the next year.
Complexity Gaming
Nov. 12: Ohai leaves
Complexity Gaming parted ways with Riley “ohai” Nguyen, who becomes a “restricted” free agent until January 2022 when his contract expires with the team.
FaZe Clan
Nov. 2: BabyJ parts ways with FaZe Clan
Hunter “BabyJ” Schline announced shortly after the North America VCT Last Chance Qualifier that he’s no longer playing with FaZe. He’s now partnered with Evolved Talent and is hopeful about his future in competitive VALORANT.
Nov. 8: Rawkus leaves FaZe Clan
In what appears to be a roster rebuild, FaZe Clan parted ways with Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty ahead of the upcoming season. After exploring his options as a free agent, Rawkus signed with Sentinels as head coach.
Gen.G
Nov. 4: Releases Temperature
Nolan “Temperature” Pepper’s short-lived loan at Gen.G came to an end after the team failed to qualify for VCT Champions. The player will now presumably return home to Evil Geniuses.
Immortals
Dec. 13: JonahP parts ways
Immortals parted ways with Jonah “JonahP” Pulice, who promptly joined The Guard.
Luminosity Gaming
Nov. 8: YaBoiDre enters free agency
Diondre “YaBoiDre” Bond was given permission to look for offers as a restricted free agent. “I wasn’t benched for clarification. This was a mutual decision,” he said in a statement on social media.
NRG
Nov. 10: Hazed joins
James “hazed” Cobb made the switch from TSM to NRG. The in-game leader and tac shooter veteran will look to redeem himself next year.
Kansas City Pioneers
Nov. 10: Fiziq parts ways
Kansas City Pioneers made the decision to let go of Lucas “fiziq” Blow, who had been inactive from the team for some time.
Nov. 11: JcStani joins after a trial period
After competing with the Kansas City Pioneers during the Knights Monthly Gauntlet: October tournament during a trial period, Noah “jcStani” Smith officially joined the team’s VALORANT roster.
Sentinels
Nov. 8: Adds Rawkus as head coach
Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty left FaZe Clan to join Sentinels as the team’s head coach leading up to VCT Champions. The former Overwatch League pro has the experience and knowledge needed to succeed in his new role.
T1
Oct. 21: Brax transitions to a full-time streamer role
Braxton “brax” Pierce announced he’s stepping down from the T1 VALORANT roster to stream full-time. He’s now a streamer and content creator under the T1 banner.
Nov. 14: T1 in discussions with Steel
Former 100 Thieves player Joshua “steel” Nissan is reportedly close to signing with T1 heading into the new year. The player is set to take on a leading role in the team.
Jan. 11: pwny joins T1
T1 signed former TSM academy player Josh “pwny” VanGorder. The 21-year-old will join Johann “seven” Hernandez, who was recently picked up by the team, Rahul “curry” Nemani, Zander “thwifo” Kim, and Joshua “steel” Nissan.
Team Envy
Oct. 26: Releases mummAy
After spending two months in a reserved role on Team Envy, Anthony “mummAy” DiPaolo was released from the roster. MummAy and officially joined Andbox after a trial period.
TSM
Nov. 10: Hazed leaves
TSM parted ways with James “hazed” Cobb, one of its original members. Hazed joined NRG’s VALORANT roster in preparation for next season.
Nov. 30: Rossy and corey reportedly join
TSM intends to finalize its VALORANT roster by signing Immortals player Daniel “Rossy” Abedrabbo and FaZe Clan player Corey Nigra, according to a report by VLR. The players will join a roster that consists of Subroza, WARDELL, and LeviathanAG.
Version1
Dec. 14: Oderus benched
Version1 officially moved Chad “Oderus” Miller to the bench as they “look to finalize” their team before the 2022 season.
Dec. 24: Zander joins as in-game leader
Former SoaR player Alexander “Zander” Dituri joined Version1 as the team’s new in-game leader.
EMEA
Acend
Nov. 13: Renews zeek’s contract
Acend extended Aleksander “zeek” Zygmunt’s contract following the team’s win at VCT Champions. “Forever grateful to all the people that are part of Acend, I resigned the contract for next season and we’re gonna make this org one of the biggest on the market,” the player said.
Fnatic
Dec. 14: Doma moved to “inactive roster”
Fnatic moved Domagoj “Doma” Fancev to the inactive roster, effectively parting ways with the player. “Doma will be moved to the open transfer market, with the opportunity to trial with other teams looking to add some firepower and charisma to their roster,” Fnatic said in a statement.
Futbolist
Nov. 9: MACHINERIS looking for a team
Mustafa “MACHINERIS” Sürer, an inactive player for Futbolist and self-proclaimed IGL, was given permission from the Turkish org to evaluate his options for the 2022 season.
Jan. 1: SasuKe exploring options
Ufuk “SasuKe” Göktaş entered free agency. The player will remain under contract with the team while he evaluates any potential offers.
Jan. 6: p0wa77 and MrFaliN join
Futbolist signed former Kafalar Esports player Özkan “p0wa77” Arslantürk and former Regnum Carya Esports Furkan “MrFaliN” Yeğen player, completing the team’s five-man ineup.
FunPlus Phoenix
Dec. 2: FPX acquires Ardiis
Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks, the former G2 Esports and Team Heretics player, joined FunPlus Phoenix to complete the roster. His wealth of experience at the top level should help to propel the team forward in 2022.
G2 Esports
Nov. 8: Analyst Lucas Rojo leaves
Analyst Lucas Rojo made the decision to leave G2 after the team failed to qualify for VCT Champions. “The time has arrived for me to seek new challenges and broaden the horizons of my career path,” he said in a statement.
Nov. 9: Head coach Neilzinho enters free agency
Head coach Neil “neilzinho” Finlay was “kindly allowed” to seek new opportunities ahead of the 2022 season, with his contract expiring in the closing stages of the year.
Nov. 13: Pyth parts ways
G2 said goodbye to Jacob “pyth” Mourujärvi, who had been inactive from the roster since June 2021.
Dec. 1: Koldamenta leaves
After failing to qualify for VALORANT’s end-of-year world championship, G2 parted ways with in-game leader Jose Luis “koldamenta” Aranguren Herrero. The team will now almost certainly undergo a roster reshuffle ahead of the next season.
Dec. 16: G2 reportedly finalizes roster for 2022
G2 acquired former Giants players Aaro “hoody” Peltokangas and Johan “Meddo” Renbjörk Lundborg, according to a report by VLR. They’ll join Oscar “Mixwell” Cañellas, Auni “AvovA” Chahade, and Žygimantas “nukkye” Chmieliauskas to form the team’s roster for 2022.
Dec. 23: keloqz moved to bench, allowed to explore options
Wasim “Keloqz” Cista was moved to the bench following several player signings. He will remain under contract but has been allowed to explore options for next year.
Ninjas in Pyjamas
Nov. 2: NiP launches “Ninjas in Brazil”
Ninjas in Pyjamas announced it’s moving its VALORANT division to Brazil to establish an “even bigger foothold” in Latin America. The team parted ways with its entire European VALORANT roster, including Emir “rhyme” Muminovic, Egor “chiwawa” Stepanyuk, Yaroslav “Jady” Nikolaev, Adam “ec1s” Eccles, Charles “CREA” Beauvois, coach Emil “eMIL” Sandgren, and assistant coach Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans.
SuperMassive Blaze
Oct. 18: PAura looking for new team
SuperMassive Blaze’s Melih “pAura” Karaduran revealed he’s still under contract with SMB but is “looking for new options.” PAura previously played for Team Heretics before joining SMB in May 2021. The talented Turkish player is looking for a sentinel position but is flexible.
Dec. 19: CyderX joins
SuperMassive Blaze picked up Caner “CyderX” Demir, formerly of Kafalar Esports.
Dec. 22: XiSTOU joins
Former Oxygen Esports player Göktuğ “XiSTOU” Canciğer changed allegiances and joined SuperMassive Blaze ahead of the 2022 VCT season.
Team BDS
Nov. 4: BDS adds Counter-Strike veteran Happy
Team BDS welcomed Vincent “Happy” Cervoni, a former Counter-Strike veteran who previously played for teams like LDLC, Vitality, and Envy, to its roster. As the last piece of the puzzle for the French lineup, he’ll join rodeN, logaN, TakaS, and AKUMAAAAA.
TENSTAR
Jan. 10: Doma joins
Domagoj “Doma” Fancev made the move to British squad TENSTAR after becoming inactive from Fnatic’s starting roster in December 2021. The experienced player will look to boost the team going into the next season.
Korea
DWG KIA
Dec. 20: solo joins as head coach
Kang “solo” Geun-chul, the former NUTURN player, made the move to DWG KIA. He joined the team as the head coach, where he hopes to make the most of his vast experience from a leading position.
Dec. 24: Secret leaves
DWG KIA parted ways with Kim “Secret” Ha-jin.
Dec. 28: Esperanza and Hyeoni join
DWG KIA welcomed former F4Q player Jeong “Esperanza” Jin-cheol and former DFR and NUTURN player Yoon “hyeoni” Hyun-seok to its VALORANT roster.
ESports Connected
Dec. 25: GodDead and Moothie join
Former F4Q player Kim “GodDead” Sung-sin and former Lag Gaming player Yoo “Moothie” Seung-woo joined ESports Connected as part of a newly established VALORANT team.
Dec. 27: Jaemin and peri joins as coaches
ESports Connected bolstered its roster with the signings of former NUTURN Gaming head coach Jeong “Jaemin” Jae-min and former NUTURN player Jung “peri” Bum-gi, who transitioned to a coaching role.
Dec. 27: k1Ng moves on loan to ESports Connected
Vision Strikers player Lee “k1Ng” Seung-won moved on loan to ESports Connected for the upcoming season of VCT Korea. He’s expected to play with the team for the first Challengers event, but his loan could extend further into the season.
Dec. 27: zunba joins
Former F4Q player Kim “zunba” Joon-hyuk signed with ESports Connected, joining his former teammate GodDead.
Dec. 28: ESports Connected completes roster with signing of Bazzi
The newly established ESports Connected completes its VALORANT roster with the signing of former Crazy Raccoon player Park “Bazzi” Jun-ki.
NUTURN
Nov. 2: Parts ways with allow and Suggest
Korean powerhouse NUTURN lost two more players, Park “allow” Sang-wook and Seo “Suggest” Jae-young. Both players were part of the original NUTURN roster.
Nov. 11: Solo retires
Long-standing in-game leader and veteran Kang “solo” Keun-chul parted ways with NUTURN Gaming, sparking his retirement as a professional player. “Now I’m going to go on the path of player to coach scheme,” solo said. “The team has not been decided, but I will always do my best.”
Nov. 15: Hyeoni leaves
NUTURN parted ways with Yoon “hyeoni” Hyun-seok, who had originally joined the team as a replacement for Choi “10X” Jin-woo following the team’s loss in the Korea VCT: Stage Three Challengers Playoffs in September.
Dec. 9: Peri and Jaemin parts ways
NUTURN said goodbye to the last remaining members of its roster and parted ways with Jung “peri” Bum-gi and head coach Jeong Jae-min. It remains to be seen if the organization will continue to pursue the esport in 2022.
DRX VS
Dec. 27: Vision Strikers loan k1Ng to ESports Connected
Lee “k1Ng” Seung-won moved on loan to ESports Connected, who entered the VALORANT scene in December 2021. Vision Strikers will presumably weigh its options and decide if it will recall k1Ng at a later date.
Jan. 4: Zest returns to starting lineup
Vision Strikers welcomed back Kim “Zest” Gi-seok to the team’s starting lineup following medical leave. He returns to the roster as a sixth man, sharing the Initiator role with Kim “Lakia” Jong-min for the foreseeable future.
Jan. 6: DRX acquires eDreamWork Korea, parent company of Vision Strikers
DRX, best known for its League of Legends team, acquired eDreamWork Korea, the owners of Vision Strikers. The team will go by “DRX VS” for the foreseeable future.
Jan. 10: Lakia moves to inactive roster
Vision Strikers made the decision to bench Kim “Lakia” Jong-min after Kim “Zest” Gi-seok returned to the team’s starting lineup. Lakia is now free to explore opportunities with a new squad.
Japan
Crazy Raccoon
Dec. 28: Crazy Raccoon releases roster
Crazy Raccoon said goodbye to Hideki “Fisker” Sasaki, Daiki “Minty” Kato, Park “Bazzi” Jun-ki, An “Medusa” Min-cheol, and coach Yusuke “mun” Ota, releasing virtually all of its roster.
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Published: Jan 13, 2022 08:00 am