NRG Esports has signed Ian “Tex” Botsch to their Valorant roster after releasing Ryan “Shanks” Ngo.
Tex is a retired amateur Counter-Strike: Global offensive player who played in lesser-known tournaments. Some of his former teammates from CS:GO are now on competitive Valorant rosters after they retired. Andrew “ShoT_UP” Orlowski, currently of Immortals, and Alex “aproto” Protopapas, currently of Luminosity Gaming, all played alongside Tex.
While Tex may not have made a name for himself on a franchised organization, he participated in minor-league tournaments like many of the current Valorant professionals. The ESEA Season 31 Premier Division- North America was the last known tournament that Tex participated in with a team. Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, Anthony “gMd” Guimond, and Austin “crashies” Roberts all participated in this tournament back in 2019 as well. Despite not being a big name in CS:GO, Tex has fought alongside players who are now considered some of the best in Valorant.
Tex spent two months on Equinox Esports during their run through the qualifiers of the Valorant Champions Tour. However, Equinox Esports released their entire roster shortly after disappointing finishes at the last two open qualifiers. Tex did help Equinox Esports get back-to-back 4th place finishes at the NSG Complexity Invitational and Winter Championship.
NRG Esports attempt to regain after roster changes
Since forming their roster back in October, NRG Esports has struggled to perform at any of the tournaments they participated in. They were able to place first at the NRG Monthly December tournament after defeating Built by Gamers, but fell back into a performance lull afterward. After placing top four at the second closed qualifier, they were able to qualify for Stage 1 Masters. There they were able to take down by 100 Thieves in the Upper Bracket of the tournament to advance.
Despite taking down the First Strike Champions, NRG Esports fell in their next match against FaZe Clan. They then were eliminated from the tournament by Gen.G in the Lower Bracket. The current version of their roster has shown promise, especially against higher-ranked teams and it is unclear where Tex will fit in. NRG Esports currently have a six-man roster after removing Shanks. Shanks did not participate at the Stage 1 Masters, as he was replaced by Bradley “ANDROID” Fordor. Only time will tell where Tex fits into the six-man roster.
