shroud announces return to esports, reveals new Valorant roster

Streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek announced that he was returning to the esports world a few days ago and now he has announced a stacked lineup for the Valorant Champions Tour open qualifiers. 

Shroud was originally a professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player before turning to full-time streaming. Fans often asked if he would ever return to the competitive side of gaming but shroud never seemed too interested. But on July 17, shroud excited viewers by revealing that he was planning to take part in the North American open qualifier for the Valorant Champions Tour, and that he was excited to use KAY/O against top-notch competition. 

shroud team roster revealed for VCT

shroud’s roster for the Valorant Champion’s Tour will include the following players: 

• Michael “shroud” Grzesiek
• Timmy “iiTzTimmy” An
• Skyler “Relyks” Weaver
• Leonardo “Laski” Arroyo
• ShawnBM

The most notable name on the team is likely Relyks, a Counter-Strike alum who played with a number of notable North American teams including SapphireKelownaDotCom, Team SoloMid, and eUnited. He’s joined by fellow CSGO expatriate Laski, who was under the Mythic umbrella from 2018 to 2020.

iiTzTimmy is a former Apex Legends player who played for Golden Guardians in early 2020. He has dabbled in pro Valorant before, competing in a variety of smaller tournaments and regional events including as a member of Team Yassuo in the 100 Thieves Invitational. Rounding out the lineup is Valorant streamer ShawnBM.

Fans of both Counter-Strike and Valorant were excited over the news of shroud returning to action in a professional setting. Though shroud is mostly known for his streaming these days, he first rose to prominence as a member of Cloud9’s popular CSGO team. He remained under Cloud9 sponsorship during his formative days as a full-time streamer before leaving the organization entirely in 2018. He has a number of accomplishments under his belt including taking second place in ESL One Cologne 2017. He’s also the man behind the “shroud boost” thanks to a legendary play he made on the spot.

The open qualifier begins July 22. Fans will be waiting on the edge of their seats to see if shroud’s squad makes it to the Challengers 2 event.