By Anna Sokolova
The window between Masters Santiago and VCT Stage 1 has always been chaotic, but this year’s transfer activity tells a different story. These are not panic moves. These are organizations recalibrating after the first real stress test of the 2026 season, and some of them are doing it in ways that will reshape competitive VALORANT for months to come. Here is a full breakdown of the confirmed roster changes heading into Stage 1, what each one signals, and where the dominoes are still falling.
Partnership Shakeups: New Names on the Franchise Board
Before a single round of Stage 1 is played, the partnership structure itself looks different. Riot Games removed three organizations from the VCT ecosystem during the offseason and replaced them with teams that, on paper, represent a healthier competitive investment.
| Organization Removed | Replaced By | Region | Date Confirmed |
| KOI | Gentle Mates | EMEA | Oct 2025 |
| ULF Esports | Eternal Fire | EMEA | Mar 20, 2026 |
| TALON Esports | FULL SENSE | Pacific | Nov 2025 |
Additionally, SLT Seongnam’s roster was acquired by VARREL in December 2025, and DRX rebranded to KIWOOM DRX following a naming sponsorship deal with Kiwoom Securities.
The Eternal Fire situation deserves particular attention because it happened less than two weeks before EMEA Stage 1 begins on April 1. Riot announced ULF’s removal on March 20, and Eternal Fire stepped in with most of the former ULF lineup intact. They slot into Group Omega and open against Fnatic. The competitive identity stays largely the same; the org behind it is now one with deeper roots in Turkish esports and, presumably, a more stable financial structure. Think of it as a jersey swap with better long-term backing rather than a true reset.
VCT Americas: The Region That Never Stops Rebuilding
No region has moved more aggressively this cycle. Between the offseason overhauls and the mid-Kickoff corrections, nearly every Americas roster looks different from its 2025 version.
The Sentinels Saga
There is no polite way to summarize what happened to Sentinels since November. The timeline tells the story on its own.
| Date | Move | Status |
| Oct 2025 | bang, Zellsis, zekken depart | Officially confirmed |
| Nov 2025 | reduxx, cortezia (ex-MIBR), Kyu (Cubert Academy) join | Officially confirmed |
| Feb 22, 2026 | Head coach Kaplan removed; Ewok (ex-RRQ) hired | Officially confirmed |
| Mar 6 | JonahP (ex-G2 Esports) signs | Officially confirmed |
| Mar 11 | N4RRATE departs | Officially confirmed |
| Mar 20 | Kyu leaves for M80 | Officially confirmed |
| Mar 24 | Jerrwin joins as fifth player | Officially confirmed |
What makes this more than a standard rebuild is the very public fallout between the organization and Kaplan. CEO Rob Moore went on stream with tarik and laid bare the internal disagreement: Kaplan had pushed zekken off duelist and stripped johnqt of IGL duties, decisions that Sentinels management openly opposed but could not override due to contractual terms. Moore confirmed that no future coach will hold that level of roster authority. The hire of Ewok, who transformed RRQ from mid-table obscurity into Pacific Stage 2 champions and a Champions Paris qualifier, signals a philosophical pivot toward structured development over star-power acquisitions. The Sentinels that take the stage on April 10 will feature johnqt (back on IGL), reduxx, cortezia, JonahP, and Jerrwin, with Ewok coaching. It is, by every measure, an entirely new team wearing a very old name.
100 Thieves: The Controlled Reset
After spending most of 2025 cycling through band-aid fixes, 100 Thieves chose a different path for 2026. They retained Asuna and Cryocells, brought back bang from Sentinels, and signed two players from the disbanded TSM Ascension roster: vora (IGL) and Timotino (duelist). Head coach Nbs, the man who led Acend to the 2021 Champions title, completes the project alongside assistant coach d00mbr0s.
| Player | From | To | Role |
| bang | Sentinels | 100 Thieves | Controller |
| vora | TSM (Ascension) | 100 Thieves | IGL / Initiator |
| Timotino | TSM (Ascension) | 100 Thieves | Duelist |
| Nbs (coach) | TSM | 100 Thieves | Head Coach |
This is not a team built to win Stage 1. This is a team built to develop through Stage 1 and peak at Champions. The TSM core showed real promise during Ascension, pushing all the way to the grand final before falling to ENVY. Having Nbs coach the same players he already developed at TSM creates a rare continuity advantage in a region that treats roster stability like a suggestion.
Other Notable Americas Moves
| Player / Staff | From | To | Details |
| Zellsis | Sentinels | Cloud9 | IGL role; joined alongside Penny |
| zekken | Sentinels | MIBR | Per sources confirmed pre-Kickoff |
| keiko | Team Liquid | NRG | Replaced s0m (retired) |
| cortezia | MIBR | Sentinels | Breakout performer at Champions 2025 |
| Saadhak | Free agent | KRÜ Esports | Full roster rebuild; IGL duties |
| Kaplan (coach) | Sentinels | M80 | Head coach after SEN departure |
| NiSMO | M80 (coaching staff) | M80 (active roster) | Returned from brief retirement |
| Kyu | Sentinels | M80 | Left SEN on Mar 20 |
| neT | Cloud9 / M80 | NRG Academy | Announced week of Mar 24 |
NRG enter Stage 1 as defending Champions with their core largely intact. Replacing s0m with keiko from Team Liquid is a lateral move at worst and an upgrade in flexibility at best. Cloud9 betting on Zellsis as IGL is the highest-variance play in the region. He has never been a primary caller at the tier-one level, and early Kickoff results did not exactly inspire confidence, but the ceiling is real if the structure around him clicks.
The M80 rebuild deserves a note: Kaplan landing there after the Sentinels drama, combined with NiSMO unretiring and Kyu arriving from the Sentinels project that collapsed around him, creates a roster with something to prove. Whether spite is a viable competitive fuel remains to be seen.
VCT EMEA: Superteam Ambitions and Quiet Depth
The EMEA offseason was defined by one move above all others: Chronicle leaving Fnatic after three years to join Team Vitality, reuniting with Derke. Add 18-year-old prospect Sayonara to that lineup, and Vitality are no longer building for potential. They are building for trophies, immediately.
| Player | From | To | Region | Role |
| Chronicle | Fnatic | Team Vitality | EMEA | Sentinel / Flex |
| Sayonara | Vitality Academy | Team Vitality | EMEA | Prospect |
| keiko | Team Liquid | NRG | EMEA → Americas | Flex |
| kovaQ | Team Vitality | FunPlus Phoenix | EMEA → China | Controller (import slot) |
| BBL PCIFIC roster | PCIFIC (Ascension) | BBL Esports | EMEA | Full roster acquisition |
The keiko departure is the kind of move that reverberates across regions. Team Liquid lost one of EMEA’s most versatile players to a direct competitor in Americas, and they have been reportedly trialling wayne (ex-Motiv) and mindfreak (ex-Paper Rex) to fill the gap, though VCT import restrictions mean only one can make the final roster.
Gentle Mates, replacing KOI in the partnership, had a strong debut at Masters Santiago, reaching the playoffs before bowing out 7th-8th. They enter Stage 1 in Group Alpha alongside Team Liquid, a favorable draw that gives them room to establish themselves before facing the Group Omega gauntlet of Fnatic, Vitality, and GIANTX.
VCT Pacific: The Region on Top of the World
Nongshim RedForce did what nobody thought possible at Masters Santiago. The team that climbed from Premier through Ascension swept Paper Rex 3-0 in the most dominant grand finals in VCT franchising history. Dambi earned tournament MVP on the back of a Neon performance that redefined the agent’s ceiling, and Xross closed the final with a 1.57 match rating across three maps.
The Pacific offseason was quieter in terms of volume but significant in structure.
| Move | Details | Status |
| TALON removed, FULL SENSE joins | New partnership slot in Pacific | Officially confirmed |
| SLT Seongnam acquired by VARREL | Roster continuity, new org | Officially confirmed |
| DRX → KIWOOM DRX | Naming sponsorship, KRX tag | Officially confirmed |
| carpe joins T1 as sixth man | Expanded roster strategy | Officially confirmed |
| Flicker as DRX sixth man | Flexible substitute role | Officially confirmed |
| ban as Global Esports substitute | Six-man roster approach | Officially confirmed |
The six-man roster trend is Pacific’s most interesting tactical development. DRX, T1, and Global Esports all adopted expanded lineups, a clear response to the depth demands of a season that includes two Masters events, two Stage splits, and Champions. Whether these sixth players see meaningful stage time or remain insurance policies will depend on how creative coaching staffs get with agent-specific substitutions.
VCT China: Stability on the Surface, Tension Underneath
China was the quietest region during the offseason, but the post-Kickoff period has introduced real volatility.
| Player | From | To | Details |
| sScary | FunPlus Phoenix | Released | 0.90 VLR rating across Kickoff; retirement comeback cut short |
| Life | FunPlus Phoenix | Dragon Ranger Gaming | Two-year FPX veteran; primary duelist in 2024 |
| kovaQ | Team Vitality | FunPlus Phoenix | Takes FPX’s import slot as sScary’s replacement |
FPX went winless at China Kickoff, losing to TYLOO, Bilibili Gaming, and JDG Esports. sScary’s return from retirement produced underwhelming numbers, and the organization moved quickly once the window opened. Bringing in kovaQ, formerly of Team Vitality, is a bet on European talent adapting to the Chinese ecosystem, something that has historically been a coin flip at best. Life moving to DRG makes competitive sense: DRG already ran a double-duelist approach with Akeman and SpiritZ1, and Life’s experience from FPX’s 2024 run, where they qualified for all three international events, adds a layer of proven firepower.
Late-Breaking Moves: The March 24 Wave
The week of March 24 brought a final burst of roster activity across multiple regions, all officially confirmed:
- Team Secret (Pacific) released duelist TenTen after just three months. The younger brother of T1’s Meteor joined ahead of the 2026 season but never found his footing within the system. According to community reports, Secret are already trialling replacements in Philippine qualifier lobbies under alt accounts.
- FPX (China) confirmed the departures of sScary and Life, as noted above.
- Sentinels (Americas) announced Jerrwin as their fifth player on March 24, completing a month-long roster overhaul.
- NRG Academy added neT, formerly of Cloud9 and M80, to their developmental roster.
What To Watch When Stage 1 Begins
China Stage 1 opens on March 31. EMEA follows on April 1, Pacific on April 2, and Americas on April 10. The groups are set, the rosters are (mostly) locked, and the narrative threads from Masters Santiago will carry directly into the league play. Will NS RedForce’s undefeated streak survive contact with a full round-robin? Can the rebuilt Sentinels find an identity in six weeks that eluded them for three months? Does Vitality’s superteam actually play like one?
Every answer starts on the server, but the transfers that got us here have already told us a great deal about what each organization believes it needs to win. Some of those bets will pay off. Others will fuel the next rostermania before Stage 2 even begins.
The information in this article reflects confirmed moves as of March 26, 2026. Unconfirmed rumors and ongoing trials, including Team Liquid’s reported tryouts of wayne and mindfreak, are noted where applicable but have not been independently verified by Nexus.media.
