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NA is Here to Play: All NA Valorant Challengers League teams 2023
As outlined by Riot Games, the Challenger League, split into two splits a year, culminates in a single two-year promotion to the International League (highest level of competition), via the Ascension tournament. And in terms of league sizes, there is potentially none larger than the North American one. A region historically overflowing with eager talent, the struggle into the VCT Americas International League will be a brutally fought one.
Here is a list of the teams competing in NA Valorant Challengers League for NA in 2023:
G2 Esports
- Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan
- Michael “dapr” Gulino
- Maxim “wippie” Shepelev
- Erik “penny” Penny
- Francis “OXY” Hoang
- Ian “Immi” Harding (coach)
Down but not out. After failing to secure an Americas League partnership, the historic organization has doubled down in Valorant by securing former Sentinels’ duo “ShahZaM” and “dapr.” Joining them are Version1’s duo of “penny” and “wippie”, as well as newcomer “OXY”. Former Version1 coach “Immi” joins his former players as well
TSM
- James “hazed” Cobb
- Nicholas “NaturE” Garrison
- Anthony “gMd” Guimond
- Corey “corey” Nigra
- Johann “seven” Hernandez
One of the first organizations to announce their intentions in the new Tier 2 space, TSM is here to stay, bringing back tenured IGL “hazed” alongside current members “corey”, “gMd” and “seven”. Former Gen.G player “NaturE” joins them as well, adding to their explosive firepower. TSM is one of the favorites to lead the league in 2023.
Oxygen Esports
- Mitch “mitch” Semago
- Devon “randyySAVAGE” Bréard
- Josh “pwny” VanGorder
- Logan “skuba” Jenkins
- Andrew “Verno” Maust
- Yassin “Reduxx” Aboulalazm (substitute)
- Preston “Juv3nile” Dornon (coach)
A relative newcomer to the NA scene, Oxygen Esports is here to challenge, taking a mashup of talent from strong teams in Cloud9, T1 and Knights. Veteran of the scene “mitch” brings his wealth of experience to the roster, leading a team of hopefuls into the new league.
M80
- Mohammed “johnqt” Amine Ouarid
- Gianfranco “koalanoob” Potestio
- Marc-Andre “NiSMO” Tayar
- Daniel “eeiu” Vucenovic
- Alexander “Zander” Dituri
A newcomer organization with familiar faces. The Ghost Gaming trio of “koalanoob,” “NiSMO,” and “johnqt” join forces with veteran In-Game Leader and former Version1 player “Zander” as well as long-standing NA talent “eeiu” of NRG.
The Guard
- Trent “trent” Cairns
- Jonah “JonahP” Pulice
- Michael “neT” Bernet
- Jacob “valyn” Batio
- Ian “tex” Botsch (unconfirmed)
Running it back in Challengers with the OG roster, The Guard are entering the new league with the majority of their original roster. With the exception of “Sayaplayer,” the team that wowed NA in 2022 is here to stay. Unconfirmed reports of “tex” has placed him as the replacement for “Sayaplayer.”
Shopify Rebellion
- Adam "mada" Pampuch
- Will "dazzLe" Loafman
- Brandon "bdog" Michael Sanders
- Kaleb "moose" Jayne
- Victor "v1c" Truong
Having made their debut with the roster during the Knights Freezout tournament, this explosive roster benefits from the additional firepower of newest addition "v1c". Force of nature "bdog" returns to the competitive stage in 2023 as well, having impressed greatly with his carry performances and aim the previous year.
FaZe Clan
- Andrej "babybay" Francisty
- Kevin "poised" Ngo
- Quan "dicey" Tran (listed as inactive)
- Phat "supamen" Le (listed as inactive)
- Daniel "Rossy" Abedrabbo (potential signing, unconfirmed)
The storied league of superstars that is FaZe Clan has also received a direct invite to the NA Challengers League. Currently, they have two members officially listed, with the rest placed on the bench. However, with this recent development, we might either see the return of the force of nature that was FaZe Clan during some parts of 2022, or a new revitalized iteration of the roster.
Dark Ratio
- Justin "Trick" Sears
- Adam "Ange" Milian
- Anthony "ZexRow" Colandro
- Taylor "drone" Johnson
- William "Will" Cheng
A solid roster, they consist largely of Tier 2 talent and former Tier 1 such as "drone" and former-100 Thieves "Will". They qualified through the NA Open Qualifiers and have taken down some notable names along their path. A team to watch out for and potential Dark Horse candidate.
Disguised
- Drake "Exalt" Branly
- Amgalan "Genghsta" Nemekhbayar
- Damion "XXiF" Cook
- Joshua "steel" Nissan
- Joseph "clear" Allen
Formed from the vision of popular streamer "Disguised Toast" and former-Knights coach Kyle "OCEAN" O'Brien, this roster is a deadly force that swept the NA Open Qualifiers. Truly one of the stronger Challenger teams, they are led in game by legendary NA IGL "steel", with newcomer "clear" and former-Knights core as firepower.
BreakThru
- Brady "thief" Dever
- Alex "aproto" Protopapas
- Brock "brawk" Somerhalder
- Xavier "flyuh" Carlson
- Tyler "sym" Porter
The first team to qualify through the NA Open Qualifiers, they are a deadly force comprised of many of NA's former Tier 1 talent. They are not to be underestimated and have the potential to take down some big names in the league.
OREsports
- Jonard "Jonaaa6" Penaflor
- Dayton "Lear" Akau
- Vincent "PureVNS" Nguyen
- Chase "nillyaz" Linder
- Elijah "Zeldris" Hawkins
Deadly and slippery, OREsports has shown a great talent for adaptation and strategy. Despite the lack of any notable Tier 1 talent names, they managed to take down far 'larger' teams than themselves on their path to qualification.
Turtle Troops
- Jack "Add3r" Hayashi
- Peter "Governor" No
- Mohammed "Harmful" Choudhary
- Anthony "Okeanos" Nguyen
- Matthew "Wedid" Suchan
The story of the night, weeks after being dismissed from his previous squad, NA warrior "Governor" gathered a new squad, and took down the goliaths of NA. They qualified through the NA LCQ.
NA Challengers League will begin on February 1st. This article will be live updated as teams are announced. Click here for more information.
Image credit: Riot Games
