Cryocells Joins XSET

Published: Jan 3, 2022

While others are still struggling to complete their rosters, XSET are sitting comfortably with six total members in their Valorant lineup. They’ve just revealed their first recruit of 2022, and it’s the ex-SoaR duelist Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban.

The team is now ready to tackle the new Valorant Champions Tour season that’s just around the corner. We’ll see how XSET will deal with a 6-man lineup. It could prove challenging to manage six players, but it could also prove advantageous during those tougher tournaments due to added flexibility.

Image Credits | XSET

Starting Strong in the New Year

XSET is one of those Valorant teams that’s packed with flavour both in terms of players and the playstyle. While they’re not the top squad in North America, at least not yet, it’s safe to say that they’re on the right track.

Many things have changed since the early days of Valorant esports, and teams that were once kings have dropped down while others have risen up. Sentinels, one of the most dominant teams in 2021, ended the season in a rather disappointing fashion. The same could be said for Envy and 100 Thieves, who were the best squads that held the top spots in the Valorant North America Standings.

We’ve all seen how strong EMEA has become. It grew immensely and overtook NA as the number one region in the world. This was also acknowledged by Riot Games.

All of these major changes played a role in the massive power shift that occurred, and now there’s an opening for a team like XSET to take the reins.

XSET have proven to be a capable team in the past, able to take on any opponent. With a renewed lineup and an extra player on top, they’re now looking quite scary. If they play their cards right and start the season with some positive results, they could potentially snowball their early lead and establish themselves as the top NA team in VCT.

Will Cryocells Replace PureR?

XSET is currently a 6-man team, but it’s unclear whether it will stay that way.

Cryocells joining is a huge boost for XSET as he brings fresh new Jett skills into the mix, but it also creates a potential problem with PureR who’s also a Jett main. Having two duelists in a 6-man lineup isn’t that bad as they could swap when the situation calls for it. But they’re both playing the same agent, which wouldn’t make much sense.

Either one of the two players ends up switching agents, or PureR gets released from the XSET roster.

There’s also the third option to keep both players and have them both play Jett. XSET could find a way to make it work. In any case, at least they’ve got options to work with for now.