100 Thieves have established themselves as one of the best Valorant teams in North America. So for them to suffer two consecutive losses right at the start of the new Valorant Champions Tour season must have been hard to swallow.
Their immediate reaction was to drop their two newly signed players, Ec1s and BabyJ, after just two matches in VCT NA Challengers 1. Their replacements will be Sean “bang” Bezerra and Noah “jcStani” Smith, who will be joining 100 Thieves on a loan.
We’ll see whether these new sudden changes will make any difference for 100 Thieves in the VCT NA Challengers – Group Stage.
Out In Less Than a Month
Both Ec1s and BabyJ spent less than a month with 100 Thieves and played two matches in total before getting ditched by the organisation. Even by Valorant standards, this must be some sort of record.
We’ve often discussed how many Valorant teams opt to shuffle through their rosters and drop their players after a single bad match, but things seem to be going from bad to worse in Valorant esports.
This team mentality ruins any kind of player stability within the team and eliminates all possible chances of the team actually finding success through practice and experience together. It seems the majority of the organisations are just picking players blindly and hoping for the best. So we really shouldn’t be surprised when things turn out like they just did for 100 Thieves.
This situation must have been a bitter pill to take for the two players in question. BabyJ responded on Twitter by saying:
“Feels like my dream just got stripped from my hands. I’ll never let these decisions get to me though. I know what I am capable of and can’t wait to show it with a team willing to invest in me.”
Hopefully they’ll both find new teams soon and continue their esports careers in the Valorant Champions Tour.
Will Anything Change With Bang and jcStani?
If we were to analyze this entire fiasco and take into account all the prior incidents where teams abandoned their players at the drop of a hat, our answer would be a hard no. Bang and jcStani joining on loan will most likely change nothing in the grand scheme of things.
We could be completely wrong and things take a turn, and 100 Thieves end up pulling through the group stage. But that will only last as long as the winning train does. As soon as the team encounters their first bump in the road, these two players will probably be returning back to their teams.
Still, having the 100 Thieves name in your resume couldn’t hurt. It might open up some new opportunities for these two young players in the future. Additionally, if things go well, they could gain some new experience which will help them develop further as Valorant players.
What Happens Next?
100 Thieves are still fighting in the VCT NA Challengers 1 – Group Stage. Although they’re currently sitting in the 5th spot with 2 losses, they still have a shot at making it out alive.
Their next match is against Luminosity Gaming, where they have a fairly good shot at scoring their first victory. However, Luminosity won’t go down that easily and will fight tooth and nail to retain their 4th spot or potentially climb higher in group A.
Even if 100 Thieves end up winning here, they’ll have to contend with XSET next. XSET’s loss against C9 put them in a vulnerable spot, so they’ll definitely double their efforts to ensure they don’t miss the Playoffs.
Yes, 100 Thieves still have a chance, but things are looking rather grim for them. Their next match is on February 27th, so make sure to tune in and watch this new lineup live.
