Only a select few have had the opportunity to play on the world stage in multiple different esports and now another will add his name to the list following the conclusion of the VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA Ascension tournament on July 16.
Wailers Locart, a retired French Call of Duty professional who played at four CoD World League Championships across the late 2020s, is now set to represent Gentle Mates in the VCT EMEA top flight with his team next year after sweeping Apeks 3-0 in the promotion final. The French star said he was “speechless” following the team’s win, which saw them make a run through the lower bracket to make the final.
Many have likened his move to PC to Nifty, a prolific CoD prodigy who made the switch to CS:GO in 2015. Nifty would go on to represent the likes of EnVyUs and Renegades in Counter-Strike after his short stint playing in 2014’s CoD: Ghosts.
Wailers has a storied history in CoD, dating back to Advanced Warfare in 2015. Shortly after the release of Black Ops 3, Wailers was called up to represent Team Vitality for the inaugural CWL Pro Division, finishing top 32 at the 2016 World Championships.
He would enjoy a two-year stint with the organization across Infinite Warfare and World War II before moving to the U.S. to play for Team Elevate, participating in seven CWL tournaments before returning home to Europe. He would spend the rest of his days competing in CoD Challengers for numerous teams.
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Come January 2023, Wailers moved on from pro CoD, announcing a shock switch to PC and VALORANT with Gentle Mates—an all-French roster—forming in January. Almost immediately they looked to lock themselves in for the VCT EMEA promotion slot, taking out both Challengers: Revolution splits with relative ease.
Wailers and Gentle Mates were all but flawless in groups, losing out to Apeks before a heavy loss to Acend in playoffs meant a game away from elimination. The team bounced back in the lower bracket, finding revenge against Acend in the lower bracket final and Apeks in the grand final with impressive back-to-back best-of-five sweeps to win.
Gentle Mates return in September for the Challengers Revolution Coupe de France in September, but all eyes will be on Wailers and the crew when they take to the stage next year for their VCT EMEA International League debut. Today’s win means they’ll lock themselves into VCT for two years.
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Moving from console to PC is tough enough, but to do so in another esport entirely whilst remaining competitive? Wailers is among rare esports company indeed, and time will tell whether he and Gentle Mates can push their hot VALORANT streak further in the new year against the very best in the region.
