Retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive legend and current T1 Valorant player Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham has announced that he will be taking a step back from the team’s active roster.
The former Cloud9 star cited his limited hero pool and lack of overall impact with the Operator as the main reasons behind the decision.
“I have been grinding to expand my agent pool and overall impact with the OP and will be back with T1 when the time is right, but in the meantime I am going to be practicing with other teams to stay sharp. I’ll be back soon and better than ever”, Skadoodle said.
T1’s drop in form has been apparent in its last few outings. Considered one of the top contenders in the North American Valorant scene, T1 has fallen off the radar over the last two months. T1 has only had one decent placement since completing its Valorant roster, finishing as the runners up at the T1 x Nerd Street Gamers Showdown. During the team’s last tournament, the Pittsburgh Knights Invitational, Skadoodle was subbed out in favor of current T1 coach and former CS 1.6 star Daniel “fRoD” Montaner.
But the reason behind T1’s subpar performances may not only lie with Skadoodle. Unlike other top teams, T1’s lack of dedicated player roles seems to have impacted the team severely. With Braxton “brax” Pierce moving to a support role and Victor “food” Wong taking over as the team’s main fragger, the team looks as though they’ve yet to find their footing.
Skadoodle himself has had a hard time adjusting to Valorant’s Operator gameplay. Known for his passive style with the AWP during his CSGO days, Skadoodle has had a hard time adjusting to the aggressive playstyle that is prevalent in the current Valorant meta.
Moving forward, it is clear that T1 is in need of more than just a quick fix. Although the team’s talent is undeniable, its chemistry and synergy are currently looking weak. It’s unknown who will replace Skadoodle in T1’s starting line-up.
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