Mad Lions signs NA Challengers Valorant team ahead of 2023 season

Mad Lions is returning to the Valorant esports scene for the 2023 VCT season. The Spanish esports organization has signed Dark Ratio, an org-less team that qualified for Split 1 of the NA Challengers League through the Open Qualifiers.

It did so by finishing third and fourth in the first qualifying event of the tournament.

Dark Ratio was knocked down to the lower bracket early in the tournament, but survived elimination by beating 99 Strength, Rat Attack, NSIC, and The Nation to reach the main event.

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Mad Lions signs Valorant team Dark Ratio ahead of NA Challengers League 2023 main event

The Mad Lions roster is made up of the following players:

• William "Will" Cheng
• Taylor "Drone" Johnson
• Justin "Trick" Sears,
• Adam "Ange" Milian
• Anthony "ZexRow" Colandro
• Ryou "MoonChopper" Nishiyama (Head Coach)

Dark Ratio consists of top-tier professional players like Will, who was let go by 100 Thieves as it signed Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban during the off-season, and Drone. The latter was part of the original TSM roster in the early days of NA Valorant.

The rest of the team consists of Trick, Ange, and ZexRow. Trick is going to lead the team in-game. Excluding Will, the remaining four played together under the DarkZero Esports banner before it got disbanded. The team will be coached by Ryou Nishiyama from Japan.

Mad Lions acquired this team a day before Split 1 of the NA Challengers League kicks off. There was speculation about the organization being in contact with the team, but negotiations were seemingly stuck in a stalemate until today.

Mad Lions is migrating from the Valorant Challengers League: France, where it finished second, losing 0-3 to Team Vitality. The French League team had ex-Fnatic player Doma on the team. The organization had let go of that roster after failing to become a Valorant franchise with Riot.

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What lies ahead for the new Mad Lions roster?

Mad Lions is part of Group B of the NA Challengers League. The other sides in the group are M80, TSM, The Guard, Disguised, and OREsports. The team's first game is against TSM on February 2.

The renowned side has looked strong in the Open Qualifiers for the tournament, and having support from a big organization will only improve its chances.