Nova Esports
Nova Esports
China
Rank #17
PangH
Song Wenhao (宋文浩)
o0o0o
Ye Xiaodong (叶晓东)
OBONE
Chen Yijie (陈怡洁)
SWERL
Ali Kobraee
CB
Wang Qingchuan (王庆川)
GuanG
Guang Honglin (光洪霖)
have announced former
Royal Never Give Up
Royal Never Give Up
Inactive
HaTo
Wang Rui (王睿)
4ErWa
Xiaonuo
duelist Ali "SWERL"
Kobraee as their new player. As confirmed by SWERL, he is expected to replace
PangH
on the starting lineup. Their previous import player, Vsevolod "neveR"
Suslov, has been removed from the Global Contract Database, but neither he nor the org have made an announcement regarding his status. The move follows Nova's exit in the Kickoff group stage, which they ended with a 1-2 record after a surprise debut against FunPlus Phoenix.
SWERL spent most of his career in the Oceania scene, playing for notable regional orgs such as Dire Wolves, Mindfreak, and Wildcard. He was able to reach multiple semifinals throughout the years, and win a handful of local events, but Oceania's lack of integration into the greater VCT circuit hindered the development of the region.
By 2023, many of the top Oceania players began moving onto international teams. WRONSKI's move to Global Esports kicked off an exodus, and China's increasing investment offered a prime opportunity for aspiring prospects. Among the new organizations was Royal Never Give Up, returning to Valorant after previously fielding a team in 2020-2021.
The org acquired SWERL and signed as part of their new roster. They were able to qualify to events such as the FGC Invitational and the Champions 2023 China Qualifier, but did not advance past the early stage of those events. Ahead of the China Evolution Series, RNG picked up GuanG , who is currently on Nova.
The team maintained a similar level, advancing to the Act 2 and Act 3 main events, but failing to make it past the group stage. After not being invited to VCT China, and despite having enough points to participate in Ascension, RNG exited the scene in November.
Nova Esports look to reinforce their roster after an early exit from Kickoff. They defied low community expectations with a competitive opening map against FunPlus Phoenix and a 2-0 victory against TYLOO, but were unable to make it past the group stage. The team seeks to continue improving with their focus on SWERL as their new duelist and his past synergy with GuanG. He has struggled with wrist pain in the past, but Nova have made an effort to assist him as they further integrate him into the roster.
SWERL will debut for
Nova Esports
Nova Esports
China
Rank #17
PangH
Song Wenhao (宋文浩)
o0o0o
Ye Xiaodong (叶晓东)
OBONE
Chen Yijie (陈怡洁)
SWERL
Ali Kobraee
CB
Wang Qingchuan (王庆川)
GuanG
Guang Honglin (光洪霖)
against Trace Esports:
Discord