Reigning VALORANT World Champion and duelist superstar Max “Demon1” Mazanov has reportedly been removed from NRG’s starting roster, with two former faces, Pujan “FNS” Mehta and Sam “s0m” Oh, returning.
Demon1 reveals why he was cut from the NRG Valorant roster
Demon1 will “no longer compete with the organization’s main roster” and will transition to a substitute role, according to VALORANT reporter Alejandro “Anonimotum” Gomis. FNS and s0m, who left NRG after last year’s 2023 campaign, will reportedly return to the organization and immediately step into the starting lineup. Demon1’s move to the bench would most likely serve as a transitional phase, as NRG could begin to consider transfer offers.
The move is surprising, even considering both Demon1 and NRG’s below-expected performances in the first half of the 2024 season. The team has struggled with Ethan in a leadership role in the match, narrowly missing out on Masters Madrid at Kickoff and then finishing bottom of their group in Stage 1, missing out on Masters Shanghai.
NRG is already set to bench controller player Jimmy "Marved" Nguyen between stages. With Marved and Demon1 out, the NRG roster would likely feature s0m on controller, FNS returning to the in-game leader role, Ethan returning to his flex role, and Victor reemerging as the primary duelist.
