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George Geddes
by George Geddes
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This is the first installment of the George Geddes’ Mail Room, a bi-weekly article series that will answer questions from Twitter regarding VALORANT news. 

Plenty of changes will occur in both North America and Europe over the following weeks. Teams will begin to solidify their rosters for the VALORANT Championship Tour Stage 3, which will likely begin in late June or July. 

If you would like to send in your question to be answered in the next VALORANT Mail Room, be sure to follow me on Twitter and I’ll answer the most relevant questions. 

FaZe Clan

FaZe Clan have a significant change on the horizon, according to sources close to Upcomer. The 21-year-old Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen has been removed from the starting lineup. The North American side is trialling several players in his place. However, the replacement has yet to be finalized. 

The most notable trial was with former V1 stand-in Jamal “jammyz” Bangash. He has not joined a team as of June 9 and will continue to trial with other teams. 

Matthew “Wedid” Suchan, Phat “supamen” Le and Hunter “BabyJ” Schline have also scrimmed with FaZe, a source told Upcomer on June 8. It’s clear that FaZe aim to try out as many players as possible in order to make sure they get the right fit. 

Brax

Braxton “brax” Pierce remains on the bench of TSM, as Upcomer reported on May 25. As of June 9, he has not been practicing on the roster. However, Brax has plenty of options considering the size of his personal brand. Although this remains speculation, he could look to stream full-time or join a new team. 

His replacement on TSM is 17-year-old Sean “bang” Bezerra. While this will be his first professional team, I was told on June 3 that he has been playing well in scrims. 

Jady and NiP

The situation with Yaroslav “Jady” Nikolaev is relatively straightforward. Ninjas in Pyjamas were not practicing with Jady in early May. But, he has since re-joined the roster, as Upcomer reported. More will come to light on this at a later date. 

Jady was likely set to be replaced by Alliance player Thomas “kAdavra” Johner, who trialed with the side. Ninjas in Pyjamas refused to pay for his buyout, however, sources told Upcomer on June 8.

NiP will likely continue with Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans. This follows an unsuccessful acquisition of former Team Liquid in-game leader Adam “ec1s” Eccles, who remains a free agent at the time of publication. 

Organizations entering VALORANT?

Not yet. 

Teams will likely assess the performance of VCT Stage 2 Masters, which concluded on May 24. 

One of the major problems is in regard to the monetization strategy. 

Organizations are businesses; it’s their goal to try and make a profit. When Riot Games doesn’t have a clear strategy, this means teams have to rely on Riot to make a profitable esport in the future. 

Last month, two team’s owners that field rosters in VALORANT told Upcomer that they are not aware of the monetization strategy put forward by Riot. This is in regard to generating revenue and profit for their businesses that commit to creating a VALORANT roster. 

At this time, European organization MAD Lions does not have interest in pursuing a VALORANT team for monetization reasons, one source told Upcomer on May 10. 

T1 Esports and Envy

T1 Esports have removed Sam “DaZeD” Marine from the starting lineup, as Upcomer reported on June 1. Although it’s unclear whom his replacement will  be, the organization has practiced without the in-game leader. 

Envy, like T1, are attempting to finalize their roster before Stage 3. Envy has recently practiced without 20-year-old Jake “kaboose” McDonald. 

Former FaZe player Marved has scrimmed with Envy, multiple sources told Upcomer on June 8. 

Luminosity Gaming and XSET

Luminosity Gaming has been another organization that’s trialling several players for their roster before Stage 3. 

Former V1 stand-in jammyz is set to trial with the roster this week while Eric “Kanpeki” Xu has also trialled with the roster, multiple sources told Upcomer on June 8. 

I have not heard anything, as of yet, regarding XSET. 

Team Liquid and Nivera

CS:GO player Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom was close to joining Team Liquid’s VALORANT division, according to journalist neL on May 12. 

The deal has likely fell through, according to one source. Players on Liquid were unaware of the move at the time of the announcement. 

The team is not planning any changes at the time of publication.

CS:GO players making the switch?

https://twitter.com/hiyohello_/status/1401978436965441536

I haven’t been told of any CS:GO players looking to make the switch. 

OG player Issa “ISSAA” Murad practiced with the organization’s VALORANT division earlier this year. However, this move fell through. 

In North America, the best players in CS:GO are not looking to switch, according to one source. Team Liquid, for example, is committed to CS:GO. 

Cloud9 Blue

Haven’t heard anything regarding Cloud9, unfortunately. 

Sentinels and Sinatraa

I haven’t heard anything in regard to Jay “Sinatraa” Won. 

Since the acquisition of Tyson “TenZ” Ngo on June 1, it’s unlikely that he will join the roster at a later date. 

Although this is speculation, I believe Sinatraa will likely continue to produce content under the Sentinels organization. But, he could join in the future, depending on the results of Riot’s investigation and the legal proceedings. 

Dignitas

I haven’t heard a peep from the organization. 

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