NRG Esports looking to form Valorant team led by Gen.G’s daps, s0m

NRG Esports is working on a deal that would take Sam “s0m” Oh away from Gen.G and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This would allow him to serve as an anchor for a new Valorant roster.

According to RushB Media, NRG Esports is courting the talented s0m and two other CSGO veterans, Damien “daps” Steele and retired coach Chet “ImAPet” Singh, to form the foundation of its Valorant roster. daps spent nine months with Gen.G as s0m’s in-game leader before leaving the organization earlier this month. On September 28, ImAPet retired from CSGO entirely after an extended period as the head coach for 100 Thieves’ CSGO squad.

While WIN.gg proposed Valorant as likely landing spots for both daps and ImAPet, s0m would mark the most promising CSGO talent to make the switch to Valorant. While other CSGO players like Nick “nitr0” Cannella and Spencer “Hiko” Martin made the transition, s0m is a different beast. At only 18 years old, s0m is both at the beginning of a successful CSGO career and attached to a well-funded organization. If NRG successfully lures the young talent away from CSGO, it could have a ripple effect as the next generation of CSGO stars see more potential in Riot’s shooter than CSGO.

daps and ImAPet have hinted at Valorant move for months

As for daps, the IGL resigned from Gen.G’s roster on September 11, stating that conflicting views on how to run the team led to his decision to leave. He made it clear that he enjoys competing in CSGO, but he also left the door open for switching games. daps’ own Twitter account shows that the experienced in-game leader has at least dabbled in Valorant and has done so since the game’s release.

TSM Valorant pro Yassine “Subroza” Taoufik even responded to the tweet, joking that it wouldn’t be long until daps was lured away to Riot’s shooter. 

ImAPet announced his retirement on September 28 but chose his words carefully when he tweeted his announcement. Instead of retiring from esports completely, the head coach specifically mentioned that he was retiring from Counter-Strike. Previous reports suggested that ImAPet has been a target of organizations looking to build Valorant rosters in the past, and was moments away from signing with one until 100 Thieves offered up the head coaching position.

Check out WIN.gg’s coverage on ImAPet’s CSGO legacy.

Currently, NRG Esports’ only contracted Valorant talent is former CSGO and Apex Legends pro Brandon “ACE” Winn, who is listed as a sponsored streamer. It’s unclear if NRG’s ultimate plan is to include him in their competitive Valorant roster, but until NRG’s reported deal is official, there are more questions than answers surrounding the team’s plans.