NRG Reportedly Making Roster Changes: FNS and s0m Returning, Demon1 Benched

According to reports, NRG Esports will be placing 2023 Valorant Champions champion Max ‘Demon1′ Mazanov on the bench and reintroducing Pujan ‘FNS’ Mehta and Sam ‘s0m’ Oh to their roster.

Although NRG made changes to its roster by adding Demon1, Ethan ‘Ethan’ Arnold, and Jimmy ‘Marved’ Nguyen in the off-season, the team did not achieve the same level of success in 2024 as it did under the leadership of FNS in 2023. As a result, NRG did not qualify for VCT Masters Madrid and Shanghai.

The organization made the decision to release FNS and s0m during the 2022-23 off-season and instead signed on Demon1 and Ethan, both of whom were Valorant world champions. Following the 2024 season, the former NRG team members decided to focus on streaming after not receiving satisfactory offers from other teams.

OpTic FNS sitting in a thrown at Valorant Masters Copenhagen — Sebastian Stigsby/Riot Games

FNS has one international title to his name from his time on OpTic Gaming.

Since the conclusion of the group stage in VCT Americas, there have been ongoing speculations about changes to NRG’s roster as both FNS and s0m have decreased their streaming hours. This has led to the community speculating that they may be participating in tryouts with teams in the VCT Americas.

The changes have not been confirmed by NRG or the players.

Despite not having FNS and s0m on the team, NRG still managed to secure a top four placement in the VCT Americas Kickoff tournament. However, their absence ultimately led to NRG missing the opportunity to compete in the first Masters event of the season.

During VCT Americas Split 1, the team’s performance seemed to have regressed. Despite going 3-3 in matches, NRG placed last in its group and missed out on a playoff spot due to round differential.

FNS and s0m aim to replicate the success achieved by the squad in 2023, where they qualified for and performed well in every international event, culminating in a top-four finish at Masters Tokyo.

Following the moves, NRG’s roster will be comprised of the following players: