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Despite the relatively recent release, Valorant esports has been going strong and steadily growing over the past year. Riot’s November announcement of their first official Champions Tour circuit signaled to the world that they are stepping up and taking their game to a new level. The news has sparked interest from various esports organisations, including Fnatic, who has now officially joined the Valorant scene with a brand new roster.
Fnatic enters the stage
Fnatic is a well-established esports organisation with numerous trophies and achievements under its belt. It would be hard to find an esports fan who wasn’t familiar with their teams and accomplishments across multiple games, most notably Dota 2, League of Legends, and CS:GO. With that being said, it’s no surprise that the company went for this decision to join the Valorant scene. Valorant is still an unexplored territory with massive potential, and nothing is set in stone just yet. It’s an excellent opportunity for new players, as well as veterans, to test their skills and see what they’re made of.
The first Valorant roster
After Fnatic announced their big reveal just two days ago on Twitter, many were left speculating on who the team might be. Most of the fingers were pointing towards the young European team SUMN FC, who were one of the most sought-after free agent rosters on the market. Surely enough, the speculations came true as the new roster was finally confirmed.
Read also: Valorant EU power rankings
The new Valorant roster:
Jake “Boaster” Howlett
Domagoj “Doma” Fancev
James “Mistic” Orfila
Muhammad “Moe40” Hariff
Kostas “tsack” Theodoropoulos
This is a well-deserved break for the team as they’ve more than proven themselves after a very successful season.
This was also confirmed by the Fnatic Valorant Team Director Colin Johnson who stated: “This group of players have more than proven their talent in recent months, holding their own against the European elite in every tournament they compete in, without the support of a salary or organisation. With the help of Fnatic and our High Performance Unit, we want to push them to reach that next level and win every tournament they compete in.”
The past success and the future ahead
The ex-SUMN FC crew have had an incredible year behind them, showing remarkable results and consistently placing high on the ranking. Just recently, they’ve battled their way to the 3rd-4th spot during the Red Bull Home Ground, competing with giants such as G2, Team Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas. Last year in December, during First Strike Europe, they went to the Grand Final where they faced Team Heretics and placed 2nd, taking home a solid $20.000. The team have shown to be worthy opponents, especially considering the lack of an organisation backing them up at the time.
Now, as a part of Fnatic, the future looks brighter than ever for these young and ambitious players. It’s not going to be easy, though. The European giant G2 Esports still reigns supreme at the number 1 spot of Valorant, with teams such as 100 Thieves, Team Heretics, TSM, and others trailing close behind. Nonetheless, under the new banner of Fnatic, the team is now guaranteed to make waves and shake up the Valorant scene. This is a new frontier for Fnatic and it will be exciting to watch things unfold as they move forward into Valorant.
