XSET has parted ways with XSET Female VALORANT coach Daniel “Ducky” Duong, according to a TwitLonger post from the now-released coach.
Ducky has coached the XSET Female team since he and the roster were signed in September 2021, having previously competed under the NOTHING2LOSE banner. Since then, two of the North American players in Maryna Semyaniv and Ariane “ARIANARCHIST” Lafrenière were removed and replaced with Danish players, and the team failed to make the main event of the first NA Game Changers event of 2022 this past April.
In his TwitLonger announcement, Ducky relayed that he was “disappointed” about “a disconnect” between himself and the players, but wished the players the best of luck and said he has “no hard feelings.” He also thanked XSET COO Marco “Rezin” Mereu and men’s VALORANT coach Don “SyykoNT” Muir for their support during his time there.
This coaching change comes just two weeks before the open qualifier for the second NA Game Changers event of 2022. That qualifier, beginning June 30, will consist first of a 32-team Swiss stage that will lead into a 16-team double-elimination bracket. The eight survivors will move on to the main event, another double-elimination bracket.
C9 White maintain their spot on top of the female VALORANT scene, having won four out of four NA Game Changers events. But today, the team announced that Annie is stepping down from the main roster and will be replaced by Australian player Bob, formerly of Soniqs.
Ducky says he is immediately looking for work as a coach or assistant coach, saying that his “work is incomplete” and that he “left a lot on the table.”
