by in
Team Vitality’s Valorant roster for the upcoming VCT season has been announced. The roster released by the French esports franchise features both new and old faces, with former 2021 champion Santeri “BONECOLD” Sassi leading the team.
The proposed roster for the 2023 VCT season was announced via a press release on the franchise’s official website.
“Team Vitality is pleased to announce that it has signed Michał “MOLSI” Łącki, Tomas “Destrian” Linikas, and Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener to compete under its banner in the new European VALORANT competitive circuit,” the press release read.
“The trio joins returning Team Vitality stars Santeri “BONECOLD” Sassi and Jokūbas “ceNder” Labutis who helped lead the team to victory at the VRL 2022 France: Revolution league, and to significant milestones in the VALORANT Regional Leagues 2022: Finals.”
According to the press release, the complete roster features familiar faces, BONECOLD and the 21-year old Lithuanian player Jokūbas “ceNder” Labutis, alongside the new additions, Michał “MOLSI” Łącki, Tomas “Destrian” Linikas, and Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener.
On the coaching roster is the former head coach of OG Esports, Salah Barakat, as Team Vitality’s head coach. He will be assisted by the newly promoted Harry “Gorilla” Mepham. Also joining the coaching team is the former assistant coach of OG LDN UTD, Joseph “Strong” Edwards, who is designated as the team’s positional coach.
Co-Founder and Esports Director at Team Vitality, Fabien “Neo” Devide, spoke about the new roster. He shared some insight into the team’s thought process in the roster selection and his excitement about the outcome.
“Whilst we have already begun proving our strength in VALORANT, when we were given the opportunity to join the VCT European League, we knew we had to create a robust and carefully curated team that would make us a serious contender for the best team in Europe,” Neo said.
“We’re incredibly proud of the roster we’ve created, and we cannot wait to see how far they go next year.”
Team Vitality’s run in the 2022 season was impressive, as the team placed second in the Valorant Regional Finals in August. The franchise bested the likes of Excel Esports, TENSTAR, and FUT Esports. They were, however, defeated in the grand final by FUT in a revenge-filled best of five series.
In preparation for the 2023 season, Vitality were one of the earliest few to secure a partnership with organizer Riot Games for participation in the 2023 EMEA international league. The international circuit is scheduled to commence with a Kick-off tournament to be held in São Paulo, Brazil, in February 2023.
After the Kick-off tournament, the first split of the EMEA international league will commence in April 2023 and run through the month. The Masters and Champions tournaments will be held much later in the year, but the first split of Challengers will start in January.
Team Vitality hopes to best their 2022 campaign with the new roster, as stated in the press release.
“The rebuilt roster signifies Team Vitality’s ambition to take the newly formatted VCT European League by storm in 2023,” the statement continued.
“After a solid team performance in 2022, where Team Vitality made it to both closed qualifiers in the 2022 VCT, the organisation hopes to advance next year with a revamped roster.
“With a mixture of European talent and the ambition to become an international contender, Team Vitality is bringing together a powerful fusion of its own VALORANT veterans, combined with rising talent guided by the direction of the remarkable coaching staff.”
