ENVY Parts Ways With Canezerra Following 12-Month Riot Games Hardware Ban

ENVY has officially terminated its contract with Alex "canezerra" Banyasz after the player received a 12-month hardware ban from Riot Games. The news dropped on April 16, 2026, and it hit the Valorant community hard since canezerra had been one of the most exciting duelists in the North American scene.

Who Is Canezerra?

Canezerra was set to turn 18 this June and despite his age, he had already built a real name for himself in the Valorant scene. In 2024, he joined RANKERS alongside a crew of popular streamers and competitors.

The team was later acquired by ENVY in the organization's return to Valorant after nearly four years away from the title, and they wasted no time making noise, going on to win the 2025 Americas Ascension and earning a spot in VCT Americas 2026.

Being under 18, canezerra was ineligible to compete for ENVY in VCT, so he kept waiting on the bench for his moment. That moment may never come now.

What Happened Exactly

According to ENVY's official statement, Riot Games conducted a thorough review of canezerra's behavior while playing their titles and found multiple violations of their Terms of Service.

The organization was clear about one thing: this was not a ban for cheating. The violations were related to behavior and conduct, not to the use of unauthorized software or any form of in-game manipulation.

The hardware ban, however, carries serious consequences. Its scope prohibits canezerra from playing, competing, streaming, or participating in any promotional activity across all Riot titles. That means Valorant, League of Legends, and every other game under Riot's umbrella.

For a professional player whose entire career revolves around one of those games, it is about as brutal as it gets.

The Impact on ENVY's Roster

With canezerra unable to compete, stream, or even appear in promotional content tied to Riot titles, there was simply no path forward for him within the organization. ENVY had no choice but to cut ties, and his contract was terminated effective immediately.

From a practical standpoint, the active roster was already running without him, but losing a player who was supposed to be the future hurts.

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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games

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