Fnatic will rebuild for next season.
European organization Fnatic is set to move Martin “MAGNUM” Penkov to the inactive VALORANT roster, one source with knowledge of the decision told Dot Esports.
The move comes after Fnatic bowed out of VCT Masters in Reykjavík, Iceland, in joint-last place. Fnatic had two stand-ins during the event, however, with Joona “H1ber” Parviainen and Enzo “Fearoth” Mestari playing for Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev and Andrew “braveaf” Gorchakov.
Prior to the event, Derke contracted COVID-19, which caused the player to attend the event a few days after the rest of the team had arrived.
Braveaf was temporarily suspended by Fnatic as screenshots emerged of his alleged support of the war in Ukraine by Russia. On March 30, Braveaf said he “never wanted it to be understood like that and never meant it like that.”
Fnatic had a disappointing international bout with losses to both Ninjas in Pyjamas and ZETA Division. They failed to win a map at VCT Masters and were sent home prior to Derke returning to the starting roster.
Fnatic will compete in the VCT EMEA Stage Two, which is set to begin shortly after the conclusion of VCT Masters. The first international event of the year is ongoing and will conclude on April 24.
MAGNUM joined Fnatic alongside Derke on April 9 last year and saw immediate success on the roster. Fnatic finished first in the VCT Stage Two Challengers Two regular season, which concluded on April 19, 2021.
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