Gambit To Compete As 'M3 Champions' For VCT 2022
Gambit Esports' VALORANT roster will be separating from the organisation to compete under 'M3 Champions' for the VCT 2022 campaign.
15th Mar 2022 12:35
Riot Games
Gambit To Compete As 'M3 Champions' For VCT 2022
Gambit Esports' VALORANT roster will be separating from the organisation to compete under 'M3 Champions' for the VCT 2022 campaign.
15th Mar 2022 12:35
Riot Games
The CIS region has been rocked by the ramifications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with a range of stances adopted by tournament organisers on the participation of Russian-owned teams in major events across the world.
Having seen BLAST and ESL voice their stances on Russian participation, Riot Games have been biding their time to communicate what action they will take, and with the resumption of the VALORANT Champions Tour being delayed before a soft restart featuring non-Russian teams. Now, the team that could find itself most under scrutiny has taken drastic actions to continue competing.
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Riot Games Allow Gambit To Compete Under Independent Name
Despite the recommendations from the International Olympics Committee being that no Russian teams or players should be allowed to compete in global events, esports has largely opted not to punish the players directly, with BLAST being the first to echo that any Russian players not based in their native countries are allowed to compete; namely the likes of Natus Vincere's trio, who have stood behind their star Ukrainian Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev as he pledged $33,000 to the efforts of his countrymen.
ESL adopted the approach that Russian-based players can compete, as long as they cut any ties to organisations from the country, such as the rosters of Virtus.pro - albeit the Russian-backed org did cry "cancel culture" as their players formed "Outsiders".
Now, Riot Games have mimicked the sentiments of ESL by allowing their Russian-based players to continue playing in VALORANT, although the decision has divided opinions as Ukrainian-born Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow remains unable to participate.
With the community rallying behind the VALORANT in-game leader as his parent organisation was prepared to withhold his wages, it now appears the majority of fans have still welcomed Riot's acceptance of Russian-based players, as the 2021 Masters 3 champions, Gambit Esports, have revealed they will be competing in the upcoming Challengers event under an independent team name of "M3 Champions".
Gambit VALORANT Roster To Compete Under 'M3 Champions'
The team name is certainly a huge flex towards their successes at the Masters 3 event last season, unseating the previously unbeaten Sentinels roster. Whilst the roster did fall short in the Grand Finals of Champions - to Acend - to be crowned as the inaugural World Champions, they still remain as a top-two team in the world and will be allowed to compete amid the political juxtapositions of governing bodies.
The roster of Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov, Nikita "d3ffo" Sudakov, Bogdan "Sheydos" Naumov, Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin, and Igar "Redgar" Vlasov will now continue to compete, alongside further Russian players for rosters like Guild Esports, Fnatic, and Na'Vi.
The roster currently has a 1-1 record for their time at Gambit during the start of the season, and will now face Na'Vi, BIG, and LND UTD between March 16-18 for a place in the Playoffs, and subsequently Masters 1.
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About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
