100 Thieves reportedly replace nitr0 with BabyJ

100 Thieves is set to complete their roster by signing North American Sentinel player, Hunter “BabyJ” Schline, according to a report from Dot Esports George Geddes and journalist Max “Purest” Katz.

The report states the two sides are currently in contract negotiations to obtain the former Faze Clan sentinel. If the deal is completed, 100 Thieves would have signed their fifth and final player. Adding the final piece, after the addition of European IGL Adam “ec1s” Eccles. The deal comes before the North American VALORANT Champions Open qualifier on January 27.

After losing a talented player like Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella to Counter-Strike, 100 Thieves had the impossible task of replacing him. He was arguably the best controller player in North America during his run. And, the free options were already limited with the regional buyouts being inflated. BabyJ enters with six months of tier one competition under his belt, and becomes the most sensible free agent to fill nitr0’s daunting spot. ec1s will fill as the controller, BabyJ as the sentinel if made official.

In terms of results, BabyJ’s time with the FaZe clan was inconsistent but promising. He excels on Killjoy, ending the 2021 VCT season with a 211 ACS and 62% win rate on the agent. Furthermore, BabyJ’s mechanical skill, with his headshot percentage skyrocketing on his best maps, could excel around star players.

The inconsistency comes in his map pool. For instance, his Ascent numbers are strong on Killjoy, but fall off on maps where he’s forced to flex onto Breach, Viper, or Cypher. Regardless, there’s no other sentinel players currently available in North America with these impressive numbers against top 10 NA teams. 

Moreover, the release of former substitutes Aaron “b0i” Thai, Quan “dicey” Tran, and Johann “seven” Hernandez after poor results at the VCT Last Chance Qualifiers. resulted in missing out on Champions. The 2-2 LCQ record forced changes to a team that won First Strike with many of these same players. 

Of course, the first domino to fall was the release of Josh “Steel” Nissan. 100 Thieves has been desperate to fill the IGL role ever since and has failed. Briefly, nitr0 occupied the role, but the team found little success during that period. ec1s will bring stability to the IGL role, while BabyJ will attempt to replace an elite talent in nitr0. 

The new-look 100 Thieves roster:

100 Thieves will be competing in the North American Open qualifiers on January 27.