Nick “nitr0” Cannella returns to bring M80 to the top of the North American VALORANT scene.
Nick “nitr0” Cannella has made the leap to M80’s VALORANT squad after hanging up the in-game-leader reins in Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster.
Nitr0 has officially joined the likes of Alexander "zander" Dituri, Marc-Andre "NiSMO" Tayar, Brendan "BcJ" Jensen, and Gianfranco "koalanoob" Potestio in the predominantly North American roster, according to a Jan 4 social media post by M80. The NA veteran is also linking up with the seasoned French CS:GO player-turned VALORANT coach, Vincent "Happy" Schopenhauer.
The 28-year-old talent is set to take the mantle of in-game-leader for M80’s VALORANT roster. This particular role has been one nitr0 has been seemingly drawn to throughout his entire esports career.
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Nitr0's tenured esports career in VALORANT and CS:GO
Otherwise known as Captain America, nitr0, became a household name for gamers following the NA esports scene. His tenure in TL’s CS:GO team saw multiple top-tier arena wins in 2019. This period also created one of the most captivating rivalries between the NA roster and the arguable G.O.A.T Counter-Strike roster, Astralis.
Upon his return to the CS:GO landscape in 2022, nitr0 took charge of a floundering NA roster. The NA IGL managed to accrue some top finishes like second place at BLAST Premier World Final 2022 and ESL Pro League Season 16. However, second place is as high as the TL roster would reach.
As previously mentioned, this isn’t the first time the American Captain has picked up a Vandal opposed to an AK-47. Nitr0’s decade long-career in esports has featured multiple jumps to rival FPS titles. This latest jump is the second time he’s ventured into VALORANT competitive landscape. Nitr0's last competitive VALORANT match was over two years ago, or 795 days to be precise.
Nitr0 previously donned the 100 Thieves VALORANT jersey for just over a year. The roster failed to make waves when pitted against European squads, however, managed to be a consistent force in the NA scene. The 100 Thieves roster’s most noteworthy success was in the initial stages of the VALORANT esports. The squad took home the First Strike: North America trophy, however, failed to replicate that success as time went on.
“Leaving the team [100 Thieves] was a personal decision, nothing against the players or the org or anything like that. But, I felt if there was time to change games, it was going to be now where they have a two-month rebuild period," said Nitr0 in an interview with esports.gg at the time of his departure from VALORANT.
Whether nitr0 can help M80 become a driving force in the VALORANT landscape is yet to be seen. However, with all his experience and success throughout his lengthy career, it seems M80 has landed an incredibly solid IGL.
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