NRG s0m and FNS recently announced that they won’t be in NRG’s official Valorant roster anymore. The duo confirmed this while streaming on their respective Twitch channels.
NRG’s appearance in VCT this year has not been up to set standards. During 2022’s pre-season period, they brought ardiis over from the EU and bought the old OpTic core consisting of FNS, Crashies, and Victor, while s0m was already a part of the official roster for more than a year. Hence, Hopes were high, and NRG was set to be NA’s new hope.
Once the season commenced, NRG fulfilled a few expectations but did not exceed them like people thought they would. So, now that the season is over, we have news that the organization is planning to bench the infamous streamer duo, s0m and FNS, from the roster. Let us take a look at what it is about.
Contents
- s0m and FNS to Focus on Streaming as the Starting Lineup of NRG Valorant is Subject to Change
- NRG s0m’s Confirmation
- FNS’s Confirmation
- NRG’s Performance This Year
s0m and FNS to Focus on Streaming as the Starting Lineup of NRG Valorant is Subject to Change
s0m and FNS have been in the eyes of the public not just because of their VCT performances but also their streaming antics. You can also find them streaming regularly during the season or on occasion. However, due to NRG’s inconsistent performance this year, the duo has been put in the backlines of the NA Team.
Now, there are various reasons why these two have been chosen particularly, but it would just be speculation. For now, let us hear what the duo had to say and how they confirmed this news for their audiences.
NRG s0m’s Confirmation
s0m was the first one to confirm that he won’t be on the starting roster anymore. Due to his joking nature, the stream had a hard time believing this was the case. s0m’s performance in VCT this year has been crucial to NRG’s success in its early run. FNS essentially confirmed that he was the one calling shots and mid-rounding when FNS couldn’t come up with anything.
We could also see s0m being the morale booster for everyone in the team, so his benching could mean some heavy roster changes for the team. People had a hard time believing that even FNS would be benched until he confirmed it himself on his stream.
NRG FNS’s Confirmation
FNS confirmed his status in a Twitch stream, saying that he won’t be on NRG’s starting lineup and is a substitute currently; he also mentioned that he will be done with NRG after his contract expires.
The former IGL of NRG also confirmed that he isn’t retiring from the Valorant competitive scene. He further elaborated by saying that he will come back when a good opportunity surfaces. But for now, he is focusing on streaming.
NRG’s Performance This Year
Fans speculate the reason for this change is NRG’s broken mentality after losing to Bilibili Gaming at Champs twice. However, the situation runs deeper than that. NRG’s run started in VCT Lock, wherein they won two matches and lost against LOUD in the Alpha Bracket Semis.
They lost 3 out of their first four matches in VCT Americas but then made a comeback. However, they lost the Grand Finals of the tournament to LOUD 0-3. The NA team secured the Group Stage and went on to the Playoffs. They were knocked down to the Lower Bracket by Fnatic.
From there, they won against DRX and Team Liquid until Paper Rex knocked them out of the tournament before they could make it to the Lower Bracket Finals. In VCT Champions, they lost their opening match to the underdog team Bilibili Gaming 0-2. They faced Zeta Division and won the elimination match but went on to lose to the Chinese team again.
The team has been inconsistent in their performances this year, sometimes showcasing dominance and aggression but losing in the most unexpected fashion. The replacements for s0m and FNS are currently unknown, as the pre-season for 2024 will begin in a couple of months.
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