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EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) as a region has always been able to prove itself in every competitive video game, and Valorant is no exception. The region has given birth to top-tier talent on the regional and international stages and continues producing exciting esports athletes.
But ever since Riot Games' 'Franchising' move, many EMEA players and organizations have also suffered. However, the rostermania in EMEA hasn't been as wild as North America (NA) or the Asia-Pacific (APAC).
Here is a list of the five best EMEA Valorant players who did not make it to franchising. Keep in mind that this list is based on ongoing talks and rumors and is subject to change before the season's transfer window ends.
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5 EMEA Valorant pros who will not play for a franchised org in VCT 2023 season
1) d3ffo
Nikita 'd3ffo' Sudakov is a Russian esports player who played for Gambit Esports. d3ffo fulfilled the role of the primary Duelist and Sniper for Gambit. He was an integral part of Gambit's rise to the top in the Challengers and later in their international LAN win in VCT 2022: Stage 3 Masters - Berlin.
d3ffo was always able to put up big numbers and was considered one of the best sniper players in Valorant during that time. Due to the political tension between Russia and Ukraine, the team decided to deviate from Gambit and play under the banner of Masters 3 Champions (M3C), which didn't make it to franchising, leaving d3ffo as a free agent.
2) nukkye
Zygimantas 'nukkye' Chmieliauskas is a Lithuanian esports player who played for G2 Esports. nukkye fulfilled the role of a Duelist for the most part but has also played Sova when required.
nukkye has always managed to be consistent with his cracked aim and was able to translate that internationally as well. He gave birth to one of the most stylishly insane Raze clips in VCT history. G2 Esports was supposed to get a franchise slot in NA. However, after an incident between the former CEO of G2 Esports, Carlos Rodriguez, and controversial internet personality Andrew Tate, Riot Games handed over the organization’s spot to another team.
3) Izzy
Baran 'Izzy' Yilmaz is a Turkish esports player who plays for Supermassive Blaze (SMB). Izzy fulfilled the role of a Duelist for his team. SMB has been on top of the Turkish scene, and Izzy was right there with them. With his insane aim, he was even able to keep up with the rest of the top EMEA talent during their VCT Challengers run.
SMB eventually made their way to VCT 2022 Masters Berlin, but they had a disappointing run and were knocked out in the group stages. Izzy still made a name for himself and showed the world what Turkish players had to offer. Unfortunately, SMB didn't make it to franchising.
4) L1NK
Travis 'L1NK' Mendoza is an esports player from the United Kingdom who played for Acend. L1NK played for the team fish123 which later got picked up by Team Liquid. He has fulfilled the role of a Controller for the most part but has also played as a Sentinel and Initiator when required.
L1NK has consistently performed in all his matches, even on the international stage. Team Liquid ended up making it to many international LANs, including the VCT 2022 Stage 2 Masters in Reykjavik, where they placed 4th. After his exit from Team Liquid, L1NK made his way to Acend. Unfortunately, the team did not make it to franchising.
5) zeek
Aleksander 'zeek' Zygmunt is a Polish esports player who played for Acend. Zeek would fulfill the role of a Duelist like Raze and Reyna but has also played Initiators like Kayo and Sova.
Zeek and his team proved their caliber by becoming the first-ever Valorant Champions back in 2021. However, in 2022, Zeek revealed that he had been struggling with mental health problems and had to be replaced with an emergency sub. Eventually, he parted ways with Acend and hasn't been on a Valorant team since.
EMEA Valorant has indeed been very quiet about its rostermania, apart from some rumors. The next few weeks might give us some exciting news, though, as a lot of players have now started to hint at signing new contracts.
Valorant enthusiasts can tune into Sportskeeda for more regular updates on the VCT 2023 season.
