Orange and Black Fury: Fnatic looking to revamp Valorant roster with “Leo” and “Chronicle” ahead of 2023 season.

Rostermania season continues as EMEA organization Fnatic are set to add Leo “Leo” Jannesson and Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov to their Valorant roster ahead of the VCT 2023 season. This is according to a report by reporter Alejandro Gomis.

“Leo”, current player for Guild Esports, has been rumoured to be joining the storied London-based organization for the upcoming season. Despite being relatively new to the scene, Guild being his first team in 2021, his performance during Masters Copenhagen has skyrocketed his stock as a promising talent in the near future. Having boasted a 206.1 ACS and 1.24 K:D over 229 rounds at Copenhagen, “Leo” also posted the highest KAST of the tournament at 79%.

“Chronicle”, formerly of Gambit Esports, has also been rumoured to join the Fnatic roster. Part of the legendary roster that dominated Masters Berlin in 2021 and runner ups at Champions that same year, the roster has been through some rough times with the conflicts between Russian and Ukraine. Part of the fallout from it has been a recedence from the esports scene for Gambit, and their former roster rebranding as M3C.

Sadly, due to no organization picking up the roster, the team has now since split, and the former players are reportedly joining multiple EMEA rosters in anticipation for the new season.

So close yet so far

Fnatic’s Valorant roster has consistently shown great results, thanks in no small ways to their fantastic IGL, Jake “Boaster” Howlett, regularly finishing in the Top 3 in both Challengers series this year.

That said, after falling short at Champions 2022, the organization has released an announcement benching James “Mistic” Orfila and Enzo “Enzo” Mestari, allowing them to explore other options. The roster placed 5th-6th after a heart-breaking nail-biting loss to DRX in a 3-map series lower bracket quarterfinals match.

It is a disappointing end to the story for the current roster who showed so much early promise. After seizing first place at the EMEA Stage 2 Challengers, the team would fight to earn 4th place at Masters Copenhagen.

The two benched players will be sorely missed. “Mistic” was part of the earliest iterations of the roster alongside “Boaster” from their days on SUMN FC before they were picked up by Fnatic. He has been a key component and unshakeable bedrock for the team as an incredible supportive element.

Whilst “Enzo” only joined the team in May, the youngster quickly impressed through his raw mechanics and adaptability. In key moments of Copenhagen especially, he showed true potential as a superstar one day.

Unconfirmed

Despite all the reports, Fnatic has not officially confirmed the two new players, and therefore, should be shopping for replacements for “Mistic” and “Enzo.” In other reports, Fnatic has confirmed a re-signing with “Boaster” and Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, locking down their two key pieces ahead of the season until 2025 and 2026. The fate of “Alfajer” is currently shrouded but it is extremely likely that he will continue to play for the roster in 2023 for the moment.

Should the above roster changes be confirmed, Fnatic’s roster will look as such:

• Jake “Boaster” Howlett
• Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev
• Emir “Alfajer” Ali Beder
• Leo “Leo” Jannesson
• Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov

Image credit: Fnatic Valorant