TSM and Oxygen reveal Valorant Challengers team for 2023

TSM and Oxygen are gearing up for Ascension League with new Challenger rosters. 

As a number of skilled players and major companies aim to put together an effective team for the forthcoming season, the NA Challengers League, Valorant’s tier-two competition, is ramping up to be an interesting tournament. The Valorant Challengers League qualifiers are set to commence in about a month, and TSM and Oxygen have already settled on their starting lineups. The NA Challengers teams will battle to qualify for the Ascension event later in 2023, which will reward the winner with a spot in Valorant’s international league.

TSM rounds out the Valorant roster with veteran players

TSM brings back veteran FPS player James “hazed” Cobb and Nicholas “NaturE” Garrison to complete its VALORANT roster for the 2023 season. Hazed rejoins the organization following a successful season with NRG, where the group finished as one of the top six teams in North America.

After the team placed fifth to sixth in the VCT NA Last Chance Qualifier and was eliminated from playoff contention, NRG Esports severed connections with Hazed. Now, Hazed has rejoined the team he has had the most tremendous success with after spending most of his Valorant career competing in VCT Qualifier and Challengers competitions.

NaturE, on the other side, struggled in the VCT while representing the Korean organization Gen.G, failing to make any main event qualifying rounds in 2022. In addition to participating in third-party tournaments such as the Knights Circuit Championship and the MCT Premiership, the American player often exhibited his skills in smaller tournaments. The two seasoned players will team up with Johann “seven” Hernandez, Corey Nigra, and Anthony “gMd” Guimond, who were retained from the 2022 season.

TSM Valorant roster:

• Johann “seven” Hernandez
• Corey “corey” Nigra
• Anthony “gMd” Guimond
• Nicholas “NaturE” Garrison
• James “hazed” Cobb
• Jacob “Daeda” Hale (analyst)

Oxygen assembles Challenger roster, featuring players from four different teams

After spending 2021 and a portion of 2022 competing in the Turkish league with its regular roster and Game Changers roster, Oxygen pledges its commitment to the North American Valorant scene. Oxygen’s Challenger roster includes players from a variety of NA teams, including T1, Renegades, Knights, and Cloud9.

Mitch, who previously played for Cloud9, is perhaps the most notable pickup, having the most VCT experience and being the only member of the team who has competed in international events. Furthermore, Andrew ‘Verno’ Maust and Yassin ‘Reduxx’ Aboulalazm from Oxygen’s academy team have been promoted to the main roster.

• Mitch Semago
• Josh “pwny” VanGorder
• Devon “randyySavage” Bréard
• Andrew “Verno” Maust
• Logan “skuba” Jenkins
• Yassin “Reduxx” Aboulalazm (substitute)
•  Preston “Juv3nile” Dornon (coach)

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