We’re All Still Holding Our Breath For 100 Thieves

With Riot Game’s announcement of their involvement with the first major VALORANT event, First Strike, one North American team, in particular, stands out as a potential hidden gem, someone who could unseat some of the regions top teams—and that team is 100 Thieves.

Undergoing a sizeable rebuild, three Counter-Strike legends make up the core that still has yet to be rounded out, but those players alone could easily be one of the best teams in the world. On paper, 100 Thieves has all the makings of a good team. They have a strong leader, intelligence, experience, grit, and explosive firepower, however, there is one small problem; we still have to see them play, and in that sense, we all wait with bated breath in the hopes that 100 Thieves can be the next contenders to rival North America’s giants.

However, like any good story, we need to first look at how we got to this point in the first place.

The first iteration of the team did not land well. Its failure, while as brash as it sounds, comes across as rushed. In interviews surrounding what went wrong with 100 Thieves first look, this theme of 'time' constantly comes up. 100 Thieves wanted to get in early and wanted to perform, but some of the earliest adopters were already signed to exorbitant contracts with giant buyouts that were not feasible. They settled on a squad of four promising PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) who were doing well outside of the major events, and the rest is history. This lies in stark contrast to how the team talks, and more importantly, how measured they've been in their second attempt. 

This time around, 100 Thieves has sealed their letter of intent to VALORANT with a wax stamp of time. Yes, it sucks to sit on our hands and wait for the team to fill out, but 100 Thieves is measuring twice and cutting once. They have put a vote of confidence in their players, giving this run back the time it needs to fully bloom, and when you look at the roster—how can you not place your confidence in them?

A man who needs no introduction, Spencer "Hiko" Martin, is a paragon of VALORANT, and someone who rose to the top of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in 2016 alongside Team Liquid. In-game leader, Nicholas "nitr0" Cannella, has spent five years becoming multi-time champion alongside Team Liquid in CS:GO in the team's later years. The team's newest recruit is Joshua "steel" Nissan, a CS:GO veteran who not only has seen it all, but probably wrote the book on how to get there. 

If you haven't noticed already, this core roster all has immense experience in Counter-Strike (CS), and not only that, but they've all played at the highest level. Nitr0 and Hiko both have seen and won alongside Team Liquid, the former obviously seeing the lion's share of victories with them. Steel rising to fame alongside iBUYPOWER, and later with Torqued, and Chaos Esports Club. This is a star-studded lineup in Counter-Strike, a game with tens of years of history, and they enter the VALORANT space as legends, careers that many aspire to hopefully recreate. This puts 100 Thieves in a versatile position, because no matter where they head next, no matter the philosophy they choose, they have the set pieces to make it a reality. 

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100 Thieves could fill out the remaining roster with young, hungry players that look to the future of the game. On the other hand, they could continue to court big-name players with the former success of the lineup. Who wouldn't want to play on a roster with legends of a game that was so instrumental in VALORANT's creation? Either path at this crossroads makes sense, and both sides have sound arguments to support them. Finding young talent that is "born" within VALORANT is the golden ticket to becoming a staple in the VALORANT space. Performing well at First Strike showcases that your organisation, and your team, are situated as winners.

The fork in the road is a win-win no matter how you look at it. There is no shortage of content, narratives, and skill that this roster lacks. This team has already engineered success, and they haven’t even finished building yet. Think of the possibilities. How can you not be excited? However, it’s difficult to fight the pragmatist. This is a team that presumably struggled for air in the past, and was rushed for time. This time around, 100 Thieves knows this all too well, again, they’re measuring twice and cutting once. They know it’s a balancing act between time spent refining down the roster and striking while the iron is hot.

That’s what important; the VALORANT space is white-hot with anticipation with what this 100 Thieves team can possibly bring to the table.

We don’t hold our breath out of cynical dissolution with the future of the team, because their first few events were lacklustre, or the original iteration for the team was faulty - completely the opposite. We all see the potential, and we’ve already begun to craft the marquees wheen looking ahead to First Strike in our mind’s eye. We see what calibre of actors this film has attracted and are bought in because we know what could happen. 

Now we wait. Our breath held. Our expectations rising.

Your move 100 Thieves. What’s next? We’re waiting.

Images via Riot Games