Aurora Unveils VALORANT Roster With a World Championship Runner-Up

Aurora Gaming announced its first competitive VALORANT roster on Wednesday, October 28, ahead of the 2027 season. The Serbian organization has assembled a five-player lineup featuring several names with experience at the highest level of VCT EMEA.

The announcement came in a post on X with the message: “No introductions needed. A new chapter begins.”

Aurora's roster for 2027 consists of:

• Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev
• Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko
• Ričardas “Boo” Lukaševičius
• Egor “chiwa” Stepanyuk
• Vitaliy “B1SK” Emelyanov

Aurora Gaming CEO Adalyat Mamedov revealed that the roster came together in just a few days, with contracts signed shortly before the qualifier registration deadline. He also thanked the organization's Head of Esports, Alexander Lemeshev, for his support and swift decision-making throughout the negotiations.

“Without a doubt, this was the fastest I've ever seen a roster come together. Somehow, everything seemed to fall into place in just a matter of days: a great coach, amazing players, negotiations, and contracts signed just minutes before the qualifier registration deadline.”

Derke Joins After Champions 2026 Final Loss to LOUD

Derke reached the VALORANT Champions 2026 final with Team Vitality, but finished as runner-up after a 3-1 loss to LOUD. Before joining the French organization, the Finnish player won VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo and Masters Tokyo in 2023 with Fnatic.

The duelist will reunite with trexx, his former teammate at Vitality in 2025. The Russian player returned to Team Liquid for Stage 2 of VCT EMEA 2026, reaching the regional final and competing at Champions with the organization.

Boo, meanwhile, captained Team Heretics during their runner-up finish at Champions 2024. The Lithuanian also reached the Masters Shanghai final that year and won the Esports World Cup in 2025.

How Can Aurora Qualify for VCT EMEA 2027?

Despite the names on its roster, Aurora is not among the eight VCT EMEA partner teams for 2027. That means the team will have to earn a spot through the Open Qualifiers, one of the biggest changes to Riot Games' competitive circuit for next season.

The VCT EMEA Kickoff will feature 12 teams: eight partners and four qualifiers, with two slots allocated to Europe, one to Türkiye, and one to the Middle East and North Africa. The European qualifiers are scheduled for November 5 to 8 and November 12 to 15, followed by playoffs from November 26 to December 5.

Non-partner teams that reach Kickoff will receive $100,000 in financial support. Aurora did not reveal when its new roster will make its official debut.

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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games

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