Rise VALORANT players Jason “Neptune” Tran and Ryan “Shanks” Ngo are set to enter restricted free agency, multiple sources told Dot Esports on March 28.
The move follows the failed negotiations between the mystery buyer and Rise, as first reported by Dot earlier today. The Rise core was set to join the organization, the identity of which was never disclosed, but the possible buyer failed to maintain communication with Rise and the deal fell through as a result.
Neptune and Shanks will be highly sought after in the market, but each player has not been linked with new teams, unlike their former teammates. Smokes player Phat “supamen” Le is set to join FaZe Clan, while Derrek Ha has been eyed by 100 Thieves. Both moves were reported by Dot Esports earlier this month.
Rise finished joint-last during the first stage of the NA VALORANT Champions Tour Challengers, which concluded yesterday. Rise was placed into Group B but only managed to defeat eventual runners-up OpTic Gaming in the first week of competition.
Rise ended the tournament with a 1-4 record and thereby failed to qualify for the playoff stage, which began on March 17. The playoffs saw OpTic finish in second place, while The Guard was victorious. Both teams earned a place at VCT Masters in Reykjavík, Iceland, which is set to take place next month.
It’s unclear whether Rise will field another roster to compete in the upcoming VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 2, which is set to begin in May with an open qualifier.
