The Initiator: 3 streamers to watch during this week’s FaZe Clan Invitational
3 streamers to watch during this week’s FaZe Clan Invitational, G2 Esports sweeps Mandatory.gg Cup for 3rd title, Absolute JUPITER sweeps RAGE Japan Tournament, Overwatch World Cup winner Rawkus leaves to play Valorant, team captain JasonR parts ways with FaZe ahead of team’s Invitational, Cloud9 signs Shinobi as 4th Valorant pro, G2 officially signs Davidp to Valorant squad and more
By Cameron Bray
3 streamers to watch during this week’s FaZe Clan Invitational
For this week’s FaZe Clan Invitational — the third Ignition Series event in North America, running from Thursday, Aug. 6, to Sunday, Aug. 9 — I’m going to recommend three streamers for you to watch. Like I did in Issues 1, 3 and X of this newsletter, I’ll give a brief rundown of each player — whom I believe will be a major contender at this upcoming Invitational — and then I’ll hyperlink their social media for you. But as I’ve done before, I’ll reserve my recommendations for players I’ve not promoted previously.
First, I’ll recommend Mitch “mitch” Semago, the indomitable battle Sage of Cloud 9.
In Issue 12, where I wrote the recap of last week’s PAX Arena Invitational, I referred to mitch as a top-three Sage player in the game right now (along with Hunter “SicK” Mims for newly emergent Sentinels and David “Davidp” Prins for G2 Esports). And I’ll stick with that description. Since being picked up by the team Wednesday, July 15, mitch has proven to be an incredible ally for C9, attacking, healing and resurrecting with equal brilliance as Sage. Over the last few weeks, mitch has become sort of the backbone of C9, the fallback Agent when all goes awry, one who can attack his opponents and support his teammates in equal measure. A battle Sage. Using Sage’s Barrier Orb not to only block, but to elevate himself and aim down at his opponents, as well as Sage’s other Abilities, mitch has played well recently. He left the Invitational with the 10th-best kill-death ratio (1.18: 239 kills on 203 deaths) and he tallied an Average Combat Score of 203.1, unusually high for a healer.
I’m curious to see whether mitch will continue to perform at such a high level at this week’s Invitational, because I think a great deal of C9’s success will depend on him, not just on wunderkind Tyson “TenZ” Ngo. So be sure to follow mitch on Twitter and on Twitch for updates throughout this week’s exciting Invitational.
Second, I’ll recommend Michael “dapr” Gulino, Sentinels’ indispensable Cypher.
Previously an amateur with Anthony “mummAy” DiPaolo and Together We Are Terrific (now Team Envy), dapr signed with Sentinels as its fifth member Monday, June 1 — a day before Valorant released from beta. And since then, he’s become a critical part of Sentinels’ roster, playing Cypher, which allows him to lockdown certain areas, control chokepoints and find enemy players. Though not a superstar like Jay “sinatraa” won or his partner in crime, Shazeb “ShahZaM” Khan, he’s been incredibly crucial to the team’s success. Playing Cypher, he finished the previous Invitational with 286 kills on 227 deaths (a strong 1.26 KD) and a solid 225.9 ACS. In addition, he averaged almost a kill per round (0.83), putting him in the top-10 deadliest players round-per-round that event.
If dapr plays well during the Invitational, he’ll allow Sentinels to go on a run and make a move toward its second Ignition Series title. Follow him on Twitter and Twitch to see if the newly crowned “kings of North America” can hold on to their title and defend their throne against their ambitious rivals.
Third and finally, I’ll recommend Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen, who is set to debut with FaZe as its third official member at this week’s Invitational.
With Marved’s signing Monday, July 27, FaZe moved a step closer to featuring a fully signed, five-man team. He’d played for FaZe as a stand-in during the T1 x Nerd Street Gamers Showdown, so I’m curious to see how he performs as an official member at this week’s Invitational, which FaZe is scheduled to host. Playing Brimstone and Omen — an interesting duo — at the inaugural, $50,000 Showdown, Marved finished with 248 kills on 218 deaths (a solid 1.14 KD ratio) and a strong, 239.3 ACS. He also averaged nearly a kill per round (0.84), making him the seventh-deadliest player in the event.
Will Marved be able to improve and help his teammates recover after a disappointing, fourth-place finish Sunday, June 28, at the Showdown? Find out at this week’s Invitational, and check out his Twitter and his Twitch for updates on FaZe’s exciting Ignition Series event.
“BACK TO BACK TO BACK”: G2 Esports sweep Mandatory.gg Cup, winning team’s 3rd third Ignition Series title, Mixwell’s 5th Valorant championship since release
Completing another perfect tournament run, G2 Esports swept Bonk 2-0 in the grand final Sunday, Aug. 2, to win the Mandatory.gg Cup, the third Ignition Series event in Europe.
The win cemented G2’s status as the best Valorant team in Europe — and possibly in the world right now — and it was the team’s 18th-straight victory in match play, dating all the way back to the Vitality European Open qualifiers Sunday, July 5 (almost a month ago).
In addition, it was the team’s third Ignition Series championship — after the Open and last month’s WePlay! Invitational — and it gave team captain Oscar “Mixwell” Cañellas Colocho his fifth major European title since Valorant was released from beta Tuesday, June 2
Leading his team, Mixwell won his first European championship Sunday, June 7, at the game’s inaugural Twitch Rivals Tournament. He took home his second Valorant title Sunday, June 21, at the G2 Esports Invitational, where Team Mixwell swept Team Draken 2-0 in the finals.
Then with G2, Mixwell won his third championship Sunday, July 12, at the Open, leading his teammates to their first Ignition Series title. And more recently, Mixwell and his teammates won last month’s Invitational, earning G2’s second Ignition Series title and Mixwell’s fourth-straight championship Sunday, July 19.
With yesterday’s Cup, Mixwell and his teammates also won the grand prize of 10,000 euros, or roughly $11,753. Bonk took home the silver-medal prize of €3,000 (or $3,527) for reaching the grand final.
During the grand final, G2 opened with a narrow, 13-9 on Haven and closed out the tournament with a marginally better, 13-8 win on Ascent.
Playing Jett, his preferred Agent, Mixwell finished the Cup with 154 kills on 127 deaths (a good 1.21 kill-death ratio) and an Average Combat Score of 241.7. He also drew first blood 27 times, putting him fifth in that category.
His partner in crime, Ardis “Ardiis” Svarenieks, left with 151 kills on 115 deaths (a slightly better 1.31 KD ratio) and a similar, 249.7 ACS as Sova.
David “Davidp” Prins, the team’s veteran battle Sage, racked up 134 kills on 100 deaths (giving him a team-high KD ratio of 1.34) and tallied a 201.4 ACS.
To reach the grand final, G2 rolled over G.Gang (13-5 on Haven) and Giants Gaming (13-8 on Ascent) in single-round matches. It then swept Dreamchasers and BBL Esports 2-0 in the double-round playoffs.
During the quarterfinals against DC, G2 opened with a strong, 13-5 win on Ascent and followed it up with a solid, 13-7 win on Haven. Then, during the semifinals against BBL, it opened with a narrow, 13-9 win on Haven and closed with a better, 13-7 win on Ascent.
Meanwhile, Bonk defeated keepYOURskill (13-3 on Haven) and Inferno (13-9 on Ascent) to reach the playoffs. It then swept 9x 2-0 in the quarterfinals and overcame Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1 in the semifinals to challenge G2 in the grand final.
During the quarterfinals, Bonk hung two devastating losses on 9x, with a 13-5 win on Haven, followed by a 13-6 win on Ascent. In the semifinals against Ninjas, it bookended a 13-4, middle-round loss on Bind with a narrow, 13-10 win on Haven and a slightly improved, 13-9 win on Ascent.
Absolute JUPITER sweeps RAGE Japan Tournament, 2nd Ignition Series event in Japan, after winning RAGE Japan Invitational in June
Cementing its place as the best Valorant team in Japan, Absolute JUPITER swept last week’s RAGE Japan Tournament and mopped up SCARZ 2-0 in the grand final Sunday, Aug. 2.
It was the team’s second-straight Ignition Series win, following a dominant performance Sunday, June 21, at the inaugural RAGE Japan Invitational.
The Tournament win netted JUPITER the grand prize of 3 million yen (or roughly $28,281). SCARZ took home the silver-medal prize of ¥1 million (or $9,427) for challenging the titan JUPITER.
Playing Jett solely for JUPITER, Oshiro “Reita” Ryu finished the Tournament with the highest kill-death ratio (1.72: 86 kills on 50 deaths) and the second-highest Average Combat Score at 302.0. He also drew first blood an event-high 25 times (12 more than the next man), averaging over a kill per round (1.08).
Takemori “takej” Shogo, the previous MVP of the Invitational, finished with the second-highest KD ratio (1.65: 76 kills on 46 deaths) and tallied an impressive 249.3 ACS, playing Phoenix and Breach.
During the grand final, JUPITER scored two strong, 13-5 wins (on Haven and Split) to win it all.
Earlier, JUPITER swept DetonatioN gaming (13-11 on Bind) and BlackBird Ignis (13-7 on Split) in the single-round playoffs.
Meanwhile, SCARZ overcame REJECT (13-12 on Haven) and Lag Gaming (13-9 on Bind) — the previous second-place contender of the Invitational — to challenge JUPITER in the grand final.
Lag Gaming narrowly defeated BB Ignis (13-11 on Split) to win the third-place match. It took home ¥750,000 (or $7,074) for winning bronze, while BB Ignis left the ¥5 million Tournament with only ¥250,000 (or $2,358) for its trouble.
Overwatch World Cup winner Rawkus leaves game to pursue new career in Valorant, adding to exodus of Overwatch talent
Overwatch World Cup winner and Houston Outlaws star Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty announced his retirement from the Overwatch League this weekend, deciding to pursue a new competitive career in Valorant.
“Today is officially the end of my Overwatch career,” Rawkus wrote in a lengthy TwitLonger post Saturday, Aug. 1. “While I’m excited for my future, today is incredibly bittersweet for me. This decision wasn’t taken lightly. I’ve lost so much sleep over this because of all the amazing people I’ve met and the memories we’ve made. In the end, I have to do what my heart is telling me and I’ll never forget the last four amazing years of my life.”
In the post, Rawkus not only explained his decision to retire, but he also highlighted some of his favorite memories from Overwatch, thanked his supporters and discussed his upcoming plans.
Those plans naturally revolved around Valorant.
“As for what’s next? Valorant.” Rawkus wrote.
“I grew up playing [first-person shooters] like CSGO and Valorant hit me differently,” Rawkus explained, referring to Valve’s classic shooter, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. “When I realized how it had a similar style of CSGO aiming mixed in with ability usage, I instantly felt comfortable.”
Rawkus spent his entire three-year Overwatch career as part of the Outlaws, where he was announced as part of the initial roster in 2017. As one of the top American talents in Overwatch, he also represented Team USA in the Overwatch World Cup from 2017 to 2019, winning gold last year.
His retirement and departure from Overwatch adds to a growing exodus of pro gamers, who have made their way from Blizzard’s Hero-based shooter to Valorant.
Two of Rawkus’s former teammates from Team USA have also retired from Overwatch to become Valorant pros.
Reigning Overwatch League MVP Jay “sinatraa” Won retired from the game Thursday, April 28, left the San Francisco Shock and signed with Sentinels’ new Valorant squad, winning the recent PAX Arena Invitational. And Corey “corey” Nigra, formerly of the Washington Justice, left the team Thursday, June 25, and joined FaZe Clan as part of its new Valorant roster.
FaZe also recently signed former Dallas Fuel star Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo, poaching the pro Friday, July 24, from Overwatch to Valorant.
“Some more exciting news about my future will be coming soon,” Rawkus promised in his post, alluding to the possibility of a signing, “and I can’t wait to share my journey with you all.”
Team captain JasonR, FaZe Clan mutually part ways ahead of team’s Invitational
Team captain Jason “JasonR” Ruchelski and FaZe Clan have mutually parted ways, the team announced Sunday, Aug. 2.
“FaZe Clan and [JasonR] have decided to part ways - he’s looking to build a Valorant roster and seek opportunities elsewhere,” FaZe wrote in a late-night announcement tweet. “We had a great working experience with Jason, and hope our paths cross again in the future!”
FaZe signed JasonR along with former Overwatch pro Corey “corey” Nigra as part of its initial roster Thursday, June 25. It soon added Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo, another Overwatch veteran, as its third Friday, July 24. And more recently, it signed Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen as its fourth Monday, July 27.
The announcement followed some unrest within the team over who should determine the roster, with JasonR claiming that he had no say in who FaZe signed.
“Marved just got announced on the FaZe Clan roster, but I’m not playing for FaZe,” JasonR said in a recent Twitch livestream. “I’m not practicing with that roster. I had no say in who they were picking up at all. I had no choice in the roster, and I’m not going to be forced to play with anyone I don’t want to.”
“I’m not practicing with anybody right now,” he added. “I was put into a weird situation.”
In addition, despite being the team captain, JasonR hasn’t featured for FaZe in Valorant since signing with the team. He sat out the inaugural T1 x Nerd Street Gamers Showdown, the first Ignition Series event in North America, where FaZe finished in fourth place Sunday, June 28.
Instead, during the Showdown, FaZe featured a cobbled-together roster of corey, ZachaREEE, Marved, Rory “dephh” Jackson and Harrison “psalm” Chang.
With JasonR’s departure, FaZe is left with just three players ahead of this week’s $50,000 Invitational, which FaZe is set to host: corey, ZachaREEE and Marved. The team will most likely continue to build around corey, its centerpiece.
While JasonR mentioned in his livestream that FaZe has been practicing with a full five-man roster without him, it remains to be seen whether they’ll be signed before the Invitational or play as stand-ins.
JasonR, the 26-year-old veteran from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, will either look to build his own Valorant team or join another.
He’s not commented yet publicly on which teams he’s hoping to join and looking to court.
Cloud9 signs Shinobi ahead of this week’s FaZe Clan Invitational, adding 4th Valorant pro to “TenZ and FriendZ”
Ahead of this week’s FaZe Clan Invitational, Cloud9 announced Friday, July 31, the signing of Josh “shinobi” Abastado as the fourth member of its competitive Valorant roster.
In a 50-second announcement video on Twitter, C9 welcomed shinobi, introduced him to fans and showed clips of his recent tournament highlights.
Joining team captain Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, Skyler “Relyks” Weaver and Mitch “mitch” Semago — collectively known to fans as “TenZ and FriendZ” — shinobi brings much-needed stability to C9, which has seen its fortunes rise in recent weeks after an unlucky start and will look to win this week’s Invitational.
Shinobi has played with C9 since the game’s beta. Competing for the team as an unsigned, unofficial member, he took part in last month’s Pulse Invitational, where C9 finished in second place Sunday, July 12, and the more-recent PAX Arena Invitational, where C9 fell to Sentinels 3-1 in the grand final Sunday, July 26.
Playing Sova and Omen, Shinobi finished last week’s Invitational — the second Ignition Series event in North America — with 182 kills on 227 deaths (a subpar kill-death ratio of 0.80) and a low Average Combat Score of 160.2.
Like TenZ and his teammates, Shinobi is a former pro from Counter-Strike Global Offensive. Before switching to Valorant, he played on several top Counter-Strike teams, including Complexity, eUnited and Rogue.
Shinobi’s individual performance in Valorant has largely followed the trajectory of C9 so far, which has gone from bad in early tournaments to good in recent weeks, so it remains to be seen whether he’ll perform well or not at this week’s upcoming Invitational.
G2 Esports officially signs Davidp as 5th Valorant starter, completing competitive roster under superstar team captain Mixwell
In a long-awaited, unsurprising move, G2 Esports officially signed David “Davidp” Prins as its fifth Valorant starter Friday, July 31.
The announcement took place the same day as G2 was set to play in the Mandatory.gg Cup — the third Ignition Series event in Europe — which it won undefeated Sunday, Aug. 2.
“You didn’t really think we’d sign anyone else right?” the European esports club wrote in a cheeky announcement tweet three days ago. “Welcome [Davidp] to G2 VALORANT!”
With its highly anticipated signing, G2 completed its five-man roster in competitive Valorant, finalizing its starting lineup under superstar team captain Oscar “Mixwell” Cañellas Colocho.
Davidp’s signing came as little surprise to any of G2’s many thousand fans, who saw him contribute greatly to the team’s success as its veteran healer Sage.
In addition to competing in this weekend’s Cup, Davidp also played for G2 in last month’s inaugural Vitality European Open and its secondary WePlay! Invitational, both of which the team won in perfect tournament victories.
The 25-year-old Belgian finished the Open with the sixth-highest kill-death ratio in the event (1:35: 258 kills on 191 deaths), and he tallied an impressive Average Combat Score of 210.2.
And during the Invitational, Davidp tallied an almost-identical 214.9 ACS and racked up 199 kills on 156 deaths, which gave him an event-high KD ratio of 1.28 (0.05 greater than the next man, his Latvian teammate Ardis “Ardiis” Svarenieks).
With his signing, Davidp joins the ranks of Mixwell, Ardiis, Patryk “paTiTek” Fabrowski and Jacob “pyth” Mourujärvi on what has undoubtedly become the best Valorant team in Europe.
Davidp’s signing marks the end of his tenure as a sort of de facto trial member and ensures that G2 will always have a strong battle Sage to give it support.
He’ll be a fixture of G2’s star-studded roster as it strives for a Valorant dynasty in Europe, so watch out for him in the coming weeks and months.
Cameron Bray is the lead writer for The Initiator, a recently created newsletter about Valorant sponsored by Numlock News. He also contributes to No Bid Nation, a new sports blog about William and Mary basketball. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @spike_cameron or send him an email at cameron@numlock.news.