Team Liquid officially welcomes Jampii to Valorant roster

Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive prodigy Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen has officially joined Team Liquid’s Valorant roster after Valve banned the 19-year-old from all of its official CSGO tournaments. 

“I hope I can bring this team up to new levels,” Jamppi said in a welcome announcement. 

He explained that he will mostly be playing Jett and acting as the team’s sniper. Jamppi stated that this is a “great combo” that’s worked well on other Valorant teams he’s been a part of since switching to Riot’s tactical shooter in 2021. The Finnish pro said that he plans to “share a lot of great memories in future tournaments and hopefully win some of them” as well. 

“Team Liquid is one of those orgs that you always dream to represent,” Jamppi said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity they have given me.”

What happened to Jamppi?

Jamppi switched to Valorant in January 2021 after a long legal battle with Valve. At the time, he said the switch would be good for his mental health and would allow him to pursue his goals once again. That goal was to become one of the best players in the world. 

Jamppi had a very promising CSGO career but it was halted in 2015. He was prohibited from competing in CSGO majors after his account received a VAC ban. Jampii insisted that the account had been sold to a friend before it received the ban, but Valve didn’t change its decision. At the time, Jamppi was set to join OG’s CSGO roster. He decided to sue Valve for ruining his career. 

OG ended up not signing Jamppi to its CSGO squad due to his inability to compete. ENCE signed Jamppi as his legal battles continued. But it didn’t seem like Jamppi had any chance in court, and ENCE changed its roster in 2021. It’s possible that Jamppi had created his banned account before he turned 13, which is against Steam’s rules. 

Despite the controversy, Team Liquid was willing to sign Jamppi to its Valorant squad. This gives Jamppi a fresh start in a new esport, allowing him to prove his skills without legal woes looming over him. The community has responded positively to this signing as well. Fans are excited to see what Jamppi can do now that he’s allowed to fully compete again.