Zekken Joins XSET; Wedid Moves to NRG
Published: Jun 30, 2021 - Last Updated: Jul 19, 2023
XSET have been making some big moves lately, and as a result they’re now looking in great shape and are ready to tackle the VCT Stage 3 Challengers 1 in early July. Wedid has finally moved on to NRG after being benched for a while. He’ll fill in the vacant spot left by daps, who decided to step down and retire from professional play.
Zachary “zekken” Patrone has joined XSET as the sixth member of the squad. This makes XSET’s current roster very flexible so they should have an easier time adapting to the challenges that lie ahead in Valorant Champions Tour.
XSET is ready to conquer Challengers 1
This team has managed to climb the Valorant rankings in a very short time. Many thought they had no shot at the beginning of Valorant Champions Tour. And they proved everyone wrong.
Not only did they compete with the best, but they brought their own unique playstyle that the NA region hadn’t really seen before. By thinking outside the box and being bold enough to try some unique strategies, XSET have succeeded where others have failed.
Over time, this team continued to evolve and adapt, never staying in the same place. This is a common theme among many other Valorant squads. If things don’t work out, you must try something else, or else you end up being stuck attempting the same old tricks without much success.
Zekken is only sixteen and he has already made a name for himself. He began his career with Wichita Wolves and then moved to Phoenix1 shortly after. It was not until he joined Noble that he truly began to shine. Noble were performing exceptionally well during the VCT Stage 2 Challengers 2 qualifiers, climbing all the way to the end until they hit a wall called Sentinels.
However, the performance that Zekken put out during this period was enough to put him on the map, and suddenly many teams were looking at him. XSET was the lucky team that signed this young prodigy, and together they should do great things in the upcoming VCT Stage 3.
Can Wedid push NRG to new heights?
NRG have been competing in both stages of the Valorant Champions Tour, but they didn’t really leave any significant mark if we look at the whole picture. The best result they managed to score was during VCT Stage 2 Challengers 2 where they finished 3rd just behind Cloud9 Blue and Sentinels.
This is a team that has the capacity to win. They have some nice Duelists and eeiu is a great Initiator with his Sova. Wedid brings a ton of control with him, so this new lineup should be pretty well-balanced. The question is whether that will be enough.
NRG really have to push the envelope and try a new approach. The Valorant meta is changing so fast and if you want to keep up, you must be willing to let go of some old ideas and embrace the new ones.
All in all, at least Wedid is no longer warming the bench and has finally found a new home. Who knows, perhaps this new combination will be just what NRG needed all along, and Wedid’s control might turn out to be the key factor that will allow them to place high in VCT Stage 3. We’ll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned in for more news, reviews, and Valorant betting predictions.
