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Leviatán benches Nozwerr ahead of 2024 VCT season, c0m rumoured to replace
Argentinian esports organization Leviatán has officially benched Agustin “Nozwerr” Ibarra from the starting lineup. The 25-year-old will instead be moved into the substitute role. Amidst rumors and drama circling the unceremonious decision to replace Nozwerr this close to the start of the season, Leviatán officially confirm the speculations. Former Evil Geniuses player Corbin “C0M” Lee is the leading candidate to replace Nozwerr according to multiple sources. Leviatán had previously expressed interest in acquiring the Initiator player, however, dropped their interest when it came to light that EG was placing enormous buyouts on all the players.
Leviatán part ways with Nozwerr
In an official post on the Leviatán Twitter/X account, the organization announced that Nozwerr would no longer continue on the main lineup. Instead, he was to become a substitute for the roster as Leviatán management has decided to go with another player.
The post went on to apologize to Nozwerr, claiming that the ‘ [the decision] that was communicated to [Nozwerr] had not been planned’ and that the way the communications had been handled is also considered a mistake on their part. They claimed it as a mistake on their part, and therefore wished to publicly apologize to Nozwerr.
Lastly, they thanked Nozwerr for his contributions to Leviatán, stating that ‘not only was he a class player, but also a great teammate.’ It goes on to praise him as someone who ‘always defended our colors and gave their all for the team.’ The post ended with a clarification that there will be a follow-up post soon to further communicate how the team will shape up in terms of replacements.
Nozwerr most prominently played the initiator role for Leviatán. C0M has been listed as the most likely name to replace as he also plays the initiator role most notably and was recently released by Evil Geniuses to take offers along with the rest of the Champions 2023 winning roster.
A Mishandling of Events - The Alleged Timeline of How It All Went Wrong
On the 26th of December, content creator for GiantsX and insider source Lembo went live on Twitch. During his stream, he shared some details of what transpired within Leviatán. According to Lembo, Leviatán was already experiencing internal conflicts. Allegedly, they were issues that had been brewing for a long time and had finally reached a breaking point in late December.
Lembo does not cite the issues but stated that they had been addressed in a players’ meeting prior (allegedly on the 24th of December) and that the result of the meeting had been a player/players asking for Nozwerr’s exit from the team. He claims that Leviatán management had not been aware of said player meeting. Lembo also cites that no decision had been made at this point. According to Lembo, a further meeting had been set for the 26th of December. The reason given for the delay was that most of the players and staff were still with their families for the holidays.
However, Nozwerr allegedly felt that his teammates had already made the decision. Thus, he removed all mentions of Leviatán from his social media profiles and made the following tweet.
Important points that Lembo claims based on his sources:
- C0M interest had been prior to the addition of tex.
- However, C0M was still in EG contract jail at the time.
- EG’s confirmation to stay in the VCT was the same day the entire 2023 EG roster became free agents.
- Following this, Lembo attempted to inquire with Leviatán management regarding their interest in C0M.
- Leviatán management communicated that since they already had their starting 5, there was no more interest.
Lembo then claims that not all players had asked for Nozwerr’s exit from the team. Moreover, some of them had not only disagreed with the demand, but also allegedly made other statements during the players’ meeting. During his stream, he also clarified that Leviatán management only learned of the meeting after it had been held and that it had not been the management’s idea to make Nozwerr a substitute. Lembo also claimed that Leviatán management had not been in negotiations with C0M at this point. The final claim was that the reason for the interest in C0M in particular, was due to prior discussions that had taken place between Leviatán and C0M prior to signing tex.
Leviatán CEO Speaks Up on Team Situation
In an address on the 28th of December, Leviatán CEO Fernando Diez tweeted about the situation, captioning it as ‘No decision has been made yet.’ The following is a translation of his message.
“Guys, you know that I always say things up front. If nothing has been confirmed, it is because no decision has been made yet. On the other hand, I take responsibility for what is happening or is going to happen. If there is anyone they want to get into it with, it is me.”
Leviatán’s official announcement on Nozwerr’s benching follows a similar vein of apologies, suggesting that there had been a mishandling of events on the management side at the very least.
Currently, the facts are unknown, and while Lembo is a credible source within the community, less than a day after laying out the chain of events, more than one account has claimed that Lembo’s account was incomplete or false. Whether that is true remains to be seen, however, the claiming source was unidentified, and Lembo is a known source within the scene. The unidentified source has since deleted their account and post.
Credit: Lance Skundrich/Riot Games
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