Less than a week before the start of VALORANT Champions Tour Stage Three, and T1 has confirmed the reports regarding changes to the starting roster. T1 is bringing back brax to the starting lineup, and temporarily promoting Anthony “dawn” Hagopian from the academy roster.
T1 coach David Denis explained in the announcement that the team and IGL Sam “DaZeD” Marine have parted ways, due to differences in “vision” between the coach and the veteran leader. Denis also explained that Ha “Spyder” Jung-woo is “taking a break” to heal from an injury.
This is Brax’s second stint with T1, and coach Denis was frank about how the first time around went between himself and the young former CS:GO pro. Denis said that he and Brax had a frank conversation about what each of them expected from the team and each other, and felt “it wasn’t a good fit at the time.” The coach says that now is a better fit for both parties.
Regarding Dawn, coach Denis referred to him as “a top-level talent,” and is excited to see how he performs on the main roster. When it comes to the team’s structure, T1 is moving Rahul “curry” Nemani to the IGL position, with Denis explaining that his “aggressive and dynamic” tendencies are perfect for the role. The T1 coach also spoke highly of the various roles played by Skadoodle and autimatic in the announcement video.
T1 is looking to improve on their results from the first two stages of VCT, with only two Challengers main event appearances where they were quickly eliminated both times. With new structure and the return of some talented firepower, the team will look to make a last-minute push towards Masters or Champions in the final stage of VCT.
The open qualifiers for VCT NA Challengers One begin on July 1.
