Masters Shanghai is incoming soon, and teams are in a frenzy regarding their lineups. Riot has been relatively quiet this year and last year with tournaments. Teams like TSM have completely backed out of Valorant because they were unhappy with the game’s overall state. Masters Shanghai is one of the most important tournaments for Riot to show that Valorant esports is still buzzing. Many teams have made the necessary changes for future tournaments in 2024.
Saadhak Leaving Loud Soon?
For those who don’t know, Saadhak has dominated Valorant esports for years with Loud. He has lifted both regional and international tournaments with the team. Strong rumors suggest he might leave the organization after a long and successful stint. It seems unlikely that Loud made this decision, and another team may have reached out to him. Saadhak has hinted on his streams that he might be leaving, but that’s the only real information available. As of now, Nrg has been linked with Saadhak and Less.
What’s Up with NRG in Valorant eSports?
Loud and Less have been linked with NRG. Last month, NRG did not meet expectations, suffering multiple defeats. They brought Demon1 into the esports team to replace SomCS. The expectation from Demon1 was to dominate the NA franchise league. Sadly, NRG clearly needed more time to gain momentum. As a result of the back-to-back losses, they benched Marved, leaving room for other players to join. With 100T winning the playoffs and making it to Shanghai, NRG seems to have lost their way. They added Ethan to help replace Pujan, a.k.a. FNS, but that hasn’t turned out well either. With Marved benched, it’s likely that another player will be benched as well to accommodate Less and Saadhak.
Yay’s Esports Drama Continues
In other Valorant esports news, Yay remains silent about the Bleed drama. Bleed has confirmed Yay’s removal from the roster, hoping he will join another team soon and get him off their books. Throughout last month, players from multiple regions called out Yay. His previous DSG teammate uploaded a clip of Yay raging mid-round during a scrim match. He was also accused of bribing his coach $10,000 to bench a player he didn’t like. Yay has yet to comment on this situation. He will need to address these allegations at some point, as he streams a lot during the off-season. Yay was considered one of the best players in the world.
After his short stint at Cloud 9, he moved to smaller teams, hoping to show everyone that he’s not about the money. Sadly, unlike his dominant stint in NRG, all his other team ventures flopped hard. Additionally, the agent he played, Chamber, has been hit hard with nerfs over the past few years. Unfortunately, nothing has fallen in place for Yay. Hopefully, he’ll return to being the beast of a player he once was, but for now, he’s also one of the “LFT” players. From the Masters-winning NRG lineup, only Crashies and Victor remain competing. They removed Yay and benched Marved. Their IGL, FNS, is now one of the biggest Valorant streamers in the scene, staying away from competitions. I won’t be surprised if the three of them get together and re-enter Valorant esports with the OG approach.
