NRG is making moves with their VALORANT roster, setting aside Verno and bonkar in favor of Mikes and brawk ahead of Stage 1.
The first big roster change of the 2025 VALORANT Champions Tour is here. Shortly after the VCT Americas Kickoff event, NRG has announced the Inactive Status of player Andrew "Verno" Maust and coach Malkolm "bonkar" Rench.
These two were highly anticipated members of the team, including bonkar, who many said was the most sought-after coach of the off-season. Now, after their elimination the Kickoff tournament, NRG has chosen to move on from the pair, adding Brock "brawk" Somerhalder and Michael "Mikes" Hockom.
Verno and bonkar benched by NRG, add former 100T coach Mikes and SR player brawk
We never truly know the reason behind early roster moves in a VALORANT season. Take Cloud9 for example, as they've been the butt of many jokes over the years. That team has often made quick changes many deemed questionable.
NRG is the current talk of the town, with rumors of the benching now becoming reality. The community was, understandably, confused by the prospect of getting rid of a new player and the head coach after just the first tournament of the season.
Clearly, something was not clicking with the team. Therefore, NRG has chosen to move on from Verno and bonkar as they approach the first Stage of 2025, where they'll look to earn Championship Points and qualify for Masters Toronto.
At the time of writing, there is just over a month left until Stage 1. And shortly after the announcement of their benching, NRG revealed Verno and bonkar's replacements. Former 100 Thieves coach Mikes is slotting in alongside Challengers standout brawk, coming over from Shopify Rebellion.
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A statement from NRG's Chief Gaming Officer
After the news was posted to NRG's official X account, NRG jaime, the Chief Gaming Officer for the organization chimed in on the removal of Verno and bonkar. And as a reminder, they are still part of the organization, just listed as Inactive and not part of the starting roster.
The main issue mentioned was a failure of team cohesion. They were meant to contend for championships on an international level and it just was not happening. Here's part of jaime's statement:
"Winning SEN City and SOOP only delayed the effects of the issues brewing. The team no longer could function as constructed, so continuing with the current 5 players/head coach was not an option."
You can read the rest of the statement on jaime's X account, detailing things just a bit further. Take note of how many believe this was a superstar team because of OFF//SEASON tournament victories. Which in turn made it harder for the community to accept the change within NRG of benching Verno and bonkar.
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