After teasing their fanbase a day prior about entering the VALORANT scene, Fnatic made good on their word on February 3. Fnatic made a splash with the acquisition of arguably the best European VALORANT roster on the market in SUMN FC.
Fnatic have entered the VALORANT playing field. Image courtesy of Fnatic.
The roster consisting of British players and former Counter-Strike pros came together in early August, and completed their final form when they subbed in Kostas “tsack” Theodoropoulos in October. The team had a dominant run throughout the First Strike qualifiers and then shocked FunPlus Phoenix in the First Strike semis to reach the grand final.
Coming into First Strike, the team had a goal of proving to everyone they were the “best unsigned roster in VALORANT.” Part of their mindset was putting all discussions of being signed on the backburner until the event was finished. After their run, they thought of themselves as one of the best teams in the world overall, not just unsigned.
The SUMN FC players like to run some interesting agent compositions, sometimes opting for just one duelist or even none. At First Strike, they brought out Viper for some pivotal maps to great success. They now bring their experience and versatility to a huge esports organization in Fnatic.
Fnatic as an organization has been synonymous with success in both tactical shooters and Riot Games titles. Them joining VALORANT was an inevitability. They were the first powerhouse of CS:GO, becoming the first organization to win three majors with their legendary Swedish roster. They’ve also acquired a massive collection of other CS:GO trophies over the years. Fnatic entered League of Legends in 2011 and won the first-ever World Championship. Since then, they’ve won several European titles and have made several more deep runs at Worlds.
The announcement from Fnatic comes just a day before open qualifiers for the first European Challengers event take place. Fnatic is hoping to see their new VALORANT roster make a deep run in the 2021 VALORANT Champions Tour. Fnatic Chief Gaming Officer Patrik “cArn” Sättermon says Fnatic has high expectations for the players.
“With our record of success in FPS games such as Counter-Strike, we’re looking forward to writing this new chapter in Fnatic’s history, and building our legacy in a new title.”
