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NRG Esports are gearing up to sign three players and a coach from OpTic Gaming’s Valorant roster. According to reports, the members include Austin “crashies” Roberts, Pujan “FNS” Mehta, Victor “Victor” Wong, and Chet Singh, the franchise head coach.
In order to create space for the new intakes, the North American esports organization will likely carry out the necessary roster changes before the VCT season kicks off in February next year. The agreement between both teams will reportedly be concluded soon, and the OpTic Gaming members will join the ranks of NRG.
After the expiration of their contract with OpTic, crashies, and Victor moved into unrestricted free agency. The players reportedly wanted to join the same team together rather than go their separate ways. The rest of the OpTic Gaming members reportedly stayed back in their team’s lineup.
Earlier on, Optic’s star player, Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker, was reportedly slated to join Cloud9 as part of the organization’s super team in preparation for the 2023 VCT. With the proposed NRG signings, Jimmy ‘Marved’ Nguyen will be the only player in OpTic’s lineup yet to leave the coop.
NRG’s interest in OpTic’s lineup is not surprising due to the team’s position as one of the best squads in Valorant. The team notably finished in the top three across all the international events they participated in and were crowned the winners of the first Masters tournament this season. OpTic have also maintained the same roster with no changes for more than a year and a half since yay was signed on.
NRG, on their part, did not make any impressive plays in 2021, and the team’s only notable feat in 2022 was their qualification for the two stages of the North American Valorant Champions Tour Challengers League. The team were, however, unable to qualify for any international tournaments.
Looking at the performances of both teams this year, it is obvious that NRG did not get as far as OpTic in terms of success this year. Despite this, the NA team were selected to participate in the Valorant Americas franchised league, and OpTic’s request was denied. As a result, the team have made their coveted lineup available for transfer to other teams in the league.
According to Riot Games’ Roster Construction Rules, each partnered league team were to turn in a roster of not less than six players and not more than 10. As a result, it is not particularly certain if NRG’s players will be moved to substitutes on the team or entirely let go.
NRG were one of the ten biggest Valorant organizations like 100 Thieves and Sentinels to be selected for the Americas International Valorant League. Next year, the team will compete against top teams in the league, like Brazil’s MIBR, FURIA, and LOUD. North American squads such as Cloud9 and Evil Geniuses will also make an appearance.
The Kickoff tournament will begin Valorant’s 2023 season and will see all 30 teams from across the leagues compete. The three-week event will take place in São Paulo, Brazil, and will carry on from February and run through to early March.
