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Fnatic have finalized their roster ahead of Stage 2 of the Valorant Champions Tour. With the addition of Alfajer and Enzo, Fnatic are ready to return to top-tier action as one of EMEA's finest contenders.
Earlier in April 2022, the European organization bid farewell to Martin "Magnum" Peňkov, one of the most established members of their VCT 2021 roster. Andrey "BraveAF" Gorchakov, who aided Fnatic in the recent Masters: Reykjavik, parted ways with the squad as well.
To fill the void in their starting lineup, the organization acquired two rising talents from the Valorant Regional Leagues - Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder and Enzo "Enzo" Mestari.
Fnatic announces roster for Valorant Champions Tour 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers
After the departure of Magnum and BraveAF, Fnatic were in need of appropriate replacements. Due to the volatile structure of the roster since Doma's departure, the team was forced to pick up a new playstyle and adapt to playing with two new stand-ins during their VCT 2022 Masters: Reykjavik run.
With the arrival of Enzo and Alfajer, Fnatic's roster for the upcoming EMEA Challengers is complete. This is what the team currently looks like:
- Jake "Boaster" Howlett (IGL)
- James "Mistic" Orfila
- Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev
- Enzo "Enzo" Mestari
- Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder
- Tom "otom" Hart (substitute)
With their new signings, Fnatic plans to steady their roster for the long run. Upon announcing the recent developments in their team structure, Fnatic also highlighted a few key role-shifts.
Boaster, the team's in-game leader (IGL), will be switching from an Initiator role to that of a Controller. Meanwhile, Mistic, who has been a long-standing Controller player for Fnatic, will switch to the role of a flex player.
According to the team management, Mistic's switch in roles is key to shaping the team's future as well as enabling his versatile capabilities. As the organization stated in their report, Mistic is expected to provide the squad with more stability when combined with a competent Sentinel player.
Who are Enzo and Alfajer?
Although Fnatic have two new names joining their roster, Enzo Mestari is a familiar face for the team's supporters. He had a brief stint with Fnatic under a different tag (Fearoth), starting in March 2022.
Due to his Agent pool matching BraveAF's, Enzo was acquired on loan from Alliance, who were then competing in the Valorant Regional League for France. He is renowned for his ability to perform as Sova, while filling in for a variety of other roles like Raze, Skye, Viper and Sage.
Alfajer, on the other hand, is a 16-year-old Valorant prodigy. He is most recognized for his efforts in aiding his former team, Surreal Esports, to a tournament victory at the Valorant Regional League in Turkey and a third-place finish at the VCT Stage 1: EMEA Promotion tournament.
Throughout his Valorant career, Alfajer has played several diverse roles. However, he stands out as the team's first choice for Killjoy, Chamber or Cypher, while taking up a more aggressive role when required.
Fnatic in VCT 2022 so far
Fnatic had a solid start to 2022 as they entered this year's circuit as one of the best European teams from VCT 2021. The team made it all the way to the Lower Bracket Finals of the Stage 1 EMEA Challengers in VCT 2022, finishing the tournament in third place.
Fnatic faced their biggest hurdle at the Stage 1 Masters: Reykjavik, as two members of the team were unable to participate in the tournament. Due to Derke testing positive for Covid-19 and the visa issues that BraveAF faced, Fnatic were handicapped.
With consecutive losses to their name and failing to collect a single map in the two matches they played, Fnatic crashed out of the Stage 1 Masters: Reykjavik. Despite a disappointing outing, the organization's recent squad developments suggest that they are taking the necessary steps towards bolstering their squad for Stage 2 of VCT 2022.
