WISE Ventures, the organization behind the Minnesota ROKKR and Version1 Rocket League team, has entered the professional VALORANT scene. The new roster includes Anthony “Vanity” Malaspina, Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, Loic “Effys” Sauvageau, Kevin “PLAYER1” Champagne, and Erik “Penny” Penny.
A new team has entered the North American scene. (Image via Version1)
The Version1 roster consists of former CS:GO players who transitioned to VALORANT. The roster previously competed together under the Never Done banner and has found a home on the new team.
Vanity is known for his time with Chaos Esports Club. He won five events with the organization, the most notable being the Intel Extreme Masters XV. Zellsis spent time with Singularity and Cloud9, and Penny also had a successful CS career before switching to VALORANT.
PLAYER1 was also a notable CS:GO player and has already established himself as a talented VALORANT player. PLAYER1 has placed five times during his VALORANT career, including at the T1 x Nerd Street Gamers – Open #2 with Gen.G. Effys also competed alongside PLAYER1 on Gen.G and has several first-place finishes.
Vanity will fill the Controller role with Brimstone or Omen. Zellsis is a Duelist/flex player and will use Phoenix, Reyna, and Sage. Effys is also a flex player who will use Sova and Breach. Player 1 is the designated Sentinel and will help the team with Cypher and Killjoy. Penny is a Duelist, but his Agent choice has not been determined.
The new Version1 roster will make its debut at the VALORANT Challengers Tour NA Challengers Two event. The team’s previous CS experience will likely help them compete with the best in the region.
