XSET’s VALORANT team is looking to move to a partnered organization as a full group, sources tell Dot Esports. Althuogh XSET was was denied partnership as an organization, the team’s players and coach are looking to stay together.
XSET reportedly made it pretty far in the partnership application process but were informed recently it didn’t make it in. This morning, Riot announced the top three things it was looking for in partnered teams, including shared values, a strong fanbase, and organizations who focused on long-term sustainability. How the teams performed in VCT was not a key consideration in Riot’s decision.
Going off of success alone, XSET would have been a top contender due to their performance during the 2022 VCT season. At Champions, XSET proved themselves competitively and made it to playoffs. They even beat the defending Masters Copenhagen winners, FunPlusPhoenix in the group stage, which raised the eyebrows of fans who thought they wouldn’t make it out of groups. They were ultimately knocked out in a rematch against FPX in the lower bracket after a loss to OpTic.
The only North American team that made it further than them at Champions was OpTic, who finished in second place, but that roster’s future is also uncertain because Victor Wong and Austin “crashies” Roberts’ contracts expired after Champions. Not long after the partnered teams were revealed, Victor posted that the duo were looking to get signed together, which means the OpTic roster isn’t likely to stick together going into 2023.
This makes XSET the top performing team in recent history to look for an organization as a whole group. The roster and it’s organization are likely going to be looking for a new home for the team during the offseason in hopes that the team can stay together and play together in the partnered league in 2023.
