nitr0 signs with 100 Thieves as leader of new Valorant team

Nick “nitr0” Cannella and 100 Thieves announced that the former Team Liquid in-game leader had joined the organization’s Valorant roster.

The move comes several days after nitr0’s surprise announcement that he was stepping away from his longtime home. While nitr0 made mention of staying in the esports scene when he left TL, the most obvious move would have been to join another Counter-Strike organization, much like Finn “karrigan” Andersen had done after being kicked from FaZe Clan and Astralis. 

But nitr0 has decided to take the road that several other former CSGO pros have taken since Valorant’s release in June. Many players who had spent years bouncing from team to team in CSGO’s lower divisions made the switch official in the week’s after the game’s release. nitr0 is arguably the first true tier-one CSGO player to have switched games.

Many fans guessed that nitr0 would probably make the jump from CSGO to Valorant judging by his recent Twitch streams, all of which showcased nitr0’s skill as a well-rounded player and tactical mind. 100 Thieves highlighted nitr0’s history with Liquid in the announcement, jabbing at the organization and its sponsorship with Marvel Comics.

No room for nitr0 on TL Valorant as IGL reunites with Hiko

nitr0’s departure coincides with Liquid signing a Valorant squad of its own, begging the question as to why the famed North American organization didn’t offer nitr0 a position on its new competitive squad. Instead, Liquid picked up several other former CSGO players, including the headshot machine himself, Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom.

The former in-game leader joins another ex-Liquid player, Spencer “Hiko” Martin, on 100 Thieves’ Valorant team. Hiko was quick to make the jump from CSGO to Valorant, joining shortly after the game’s launch.

With nitr0’s signing, 100T is just three players down from a full roster, clearly signaling it intends to make more major moves as Valorant competition ramps up. 100 Thieves released the rest of its former Valorant roster with nitr0’s signing, meaning more announcements are in the pipeline from one of North America’s major organizations.