Cover-Credits:
100 Thieves was regarded as one of the top dogs of the North American Valorant scene when it first kicked off its journey but the team’s performances slowly fizzled out. The organization unveiled its newly built Valorant team in an announcement video that was posted on its socials on 14th April (Thursday). The only remaining member from the old roster is Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk.
The organization has announced that it has signed William “Will” Cheng, Derrek “Derrek” Ha, Brenden “stellar” McGrath, and Sean “bang” Bezerra to its Valorant roster ahead of the VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) Stage 2. With this announcement, the coaching staff of 100 Thieves stated that the situation with former Counter-Strike professional Ethan “Ethan” Arnold who was also the IGL for the team would be “determined” and that they would provide an update once they have more information on his future with the team.
Earlier on 13th April, veteran player Spencer “Hiko” Martin announced his retirement from competitive Valorant according to 100 Thieves but will continue to be a part of the organization’s content creator team.
The organization decided to shuffle things up in the team after a disappointing run in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2021: North America (NA) Last Chance Qualifier last year and once again at the VCT 2022: North America Challengers 1 - Group Stage. The team had players entering and leaving as 100 Thieves tried to shape its roster in 2022 hoping for a turnaround.
The new members of 100 Thieves Valorant
The new 100 Thieves roster is as follows:
Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk
William “Will” Cheng
Derrek “Derrek” Ha
Brenden “stellar” McGrath
Sean “bang” Bezerra
Bang is not a new face to the team as he has played under the 100 Thieves banner after he was loaned by Team Solo Mid. Meanwhile, stellar has played for teams like Luminosity Gaming and SoaR Gaming in the past as the In-Game Leader (IGL). Derek and Will have also played for Rise and Built By Gamers, respectively.
In late March, Former Riot Games broadcast talent member Sean Gares joined 100 Thieves as its Valorant head coach. The other office staff includes Daniel “ddk” Kapadia, who is the general manager, and former Envy head coach Michael “Mikes” Hockom, who will be an assistant coach.
Commenting on the new roster, Kapadia said, “Philosophically speaking we had a lot to think about when we were trying to rebuild the roster. There’s a vision for the team,” and he said that there were major things that they were looking for. Moreover, he said the team must have a culture that is hungry for wins, as well as well-defined roles for everyone on the roster to make an effective and structurally sound roster.
Roster changes in January and February 2022
On 18th January, 100 Thieves revealed its 2022 Valorant roster with just a couple of weeks left for the NA VCT Qualifiers for this season. It announced the signing of Adam “ec1s” Eccles and Hunter “BabyJ” Schline after old members Joshua “steel” Nissan and Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella parted ways with the team.
The first roster for 2022 was:
Adam “ec1s” Eccles
Hunter “BabyJ” Schline
Ethan “ethan” Arnold
Spencer “Hiko” Martin
Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk
However, the new roster’s dynamics did not work out as intended. The team suffered a 0-13 loss at the Group Stage of VCT 2022: North America Challengers 1 with The Guard winning without dropping a single round on one of the maps. Following this, 100 Thieves dropped BabyJ and ec1s just a month after signing them.
Following this, bang and Noah “jcStani” Smith were loaned out to 100 Thieves and the new team was:
Ethan “Ethan” Arnold (in-game leader)
Spencer “Hiko” Martin
Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk
Sean “bang” Bezerra
Noah “jcStani” Smith
The team still failed to perform well and missed out on the opportunity to qualify for VCT Masters One being held in Reykjavik, Iceland.
With the roster shakeup complete and the team looking solid on paper, 100 Thieves will be looking to put on a show at VCT Stage Two qualifiers in a bid to eventually make it to the next international event.
