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NRG s0m announces break from competitive VALORANT
Reigning World Champion Sam "s0m" Oh has announced he is stepping away from the NRG active roster following the team’s victory in Paris earlier this month. His departure from the organization brings a half decade-long partnership to a bittersweet end as s0m steps fully into the world of content creation (for now).
From CS Rookie to VALORANT World Champion
One of the few remaining talents to have come over to VALORANT from Counter-Strike in that first big initial wave, the stage now waves goodbye as s0m hangs up the jersey. Like many other aspiring young talents during the late 2010s era in North America, they found few opportunities available to them as the region entered a period of quiet slumber.
When VALORANT came knocking, players like s0m looked to it as a fresh start and a new opportunity for fortune and glory. Quickly becoming one of the most promising rookies in the scene, s0m first made his mark as a star duelist for NRG.
Despite some forms of success here and there, the early years of VALORANT were dominated by several teams, and NRG never managed to qualify for the big international tournaments, always falling just shy of the mark.
That changed in 2023, when NRG signed the OpTic Gaming core, forming one of the now most iconic duos in VALORANT esports between s0m and Pujan "FNS" Mehta. The duo went on a tear in 2023, succeeding in qualifying for all three international events the first year of the VCT, a record improvement for the organization. Despite the accomplishment, the team failed to lift any trophies, and NRG’s core broke apart at the end of the season, and s0m and FNS went into their first breaks of their VALORANT careers.
2024 was an odd year for NRG. What originally was supposed to be a superteam consisting of defending World Champions Ethan "Ethan" Arnold and Maximilian "Demon1" Mazanov as the spear tip, quickly fell into disarray as the season progressed. Called in at their darkest hour, s0m and FNS returned to the spotlight to finish out the year for the organization.
Despite not qualifying for Champions, the team managed to stabilize with the return of the two, and when 2025 rolled around, they remained on the roster alongside Ethan to captain a new squad of rookies. NRG had mixed success in 2025. Despite not qualifying for any international tournament until Champions, the team showed some promise here and there.
In May, FNS announced his official retirement, handing over the leadership reins to Ethan. NRG picked up another promising rookie, Logan "skuba" Jenkins, and the roster began their final 2025 VCT Americas run. One last shot to qualify for Champions. From qualifying for their first Grand Finals of the VCT Stage, to qualifying for their first Champions Grand Finals, NRG had a generational run to cap off their year, showing immense improvement during the final months of the season.
In the Grand Finals, they faced none other than a seasoned Fnatic squad. Undaunted, NRG charged ahead to a 2-0 commanding lead in the series and were two points away from victory. It was then that Fnatic began their counter assault, taking the series all the way to a fifth map after a monumental comeback on Map 3. In the end, NRG and s0m emerged as Champions of the 2025 VCT season.
A Personal Decision
“I’m here to announce that I will be taking a break. Definitely not forever. I’ve been basically competing since I was 2014 and I think the recent Champions win, what better time than now to just take a break.”
While s0m has confirmed that his departure from the competitive stage will not be forever, the 2026 VCT landscape takes a massive shift as once again another Champions roster enters a new year one member short.
NRG has yet to confirm a new signing to replace s0m heading into the new season.
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Featured Image Credit: Adela Sznajder/Riot Games
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