TSM were unable to live up to expectations during the Valorant First Strike or any of the Champions Tour Stages, as they exited in the early stages of both these competitions.
From MouseSpaz, RelutC and Co. were acquired by TSM in May 2020. Under Stephen, TSM were able to bag two major A-tier events at the T1 X NSG followed by the FaZe Clan Invitational, grabbing a total of $50,000 USD in winnings.
Before setting up for their VCT runs, they were the second-best team at the Valorant’s First Strike in North America after they lost to 100 Thieves in the Grand Finals.
So it’s not surprising that ahead of the next tournament, TSM would like to shake a few things up when it comes to their Valorant roster.
And in a recent announcement, the organization revealed that they would be benching Stephen "reltuC" Cutler from the squad.
Hazed and Fl0m’s reaction towards the Toxicity from Valorant fans in Twitter
Ever since the benching of Stephen “reltuC” Cutler was announced, people have been tweeting toxic replies under the original tweet by TSM. They seem to be mocking Stephen in many ways and passing really hateful comments.
James "hazed” Cobb recently tweeted that he was really angry with people who were posting such comments. He also stated that although it was hard to do, but he blocked the responses.
Erik "fl0m" Flom an American professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Player and Streamer replied under the tweet.
ReltuC was the in-game leader and shot-caller for the TSM Valorant side, and with him getting benched, the organization will need to look elsewhere for leadership.
It’s quite likely that TSM might ask Matthew "Wardell" Yu to play the role of in-game leader with all his experience, but it’s not certain if TSM will be looking to go in that direction.
However, reltuC’s career might not end here, and he can surely secure a spot in another Valorant roster. Though he is allowed to stream under the TSM banner, he might just look to part ways with the organization entirely if he wants to compete on the professional stage.