M80 M80 North America Rank #1 Boni gMd Anthony Guimond Derrek Derrek Ha alvinboy Alvin Hong Pa1nt Amarri Peak has announced its return to Valorant, and has signed former player Marc-Andre "NiSMO" Tayar as its head coach to lead its new era.

"This decision came earlier than I originally planned, but the right opportunity presented itself," NiSMO said. "Today, I'm officially retiring from professional play to fully transition into coaching. I'm incredibly grateful to be joining M80, an organization that believes in me, gives me full trust, and allows me to build and lead the way I believe in."

M80's return marks the organization's second unique run in Valorant after exiting the game midway through Americas Stage 2. During its first run, the esports organization competed in the North American Challengers scene and rose to become a powerhouse, but failed to ascend despite capping off two dominant seasons. After its 2025 exit, M80 continued in Stage 2 as Chet's Pets Chet's Pets Inactive , but the squad only got as far as 7th-8th in the playoffs.

NiSMO most recently played for Cubert Academy Cubert Academy North America Rank #8 zander Alexander Dituri stand-in nightz Christian Smith in 2025 and balanced the Sentinel and Initiator roles for the squad. Before joining the Sentinels Sentinels North America Rank #7 N4RRATE Marshall Massey Reduxx Yassin Aboulalazm johnqt Mohamed Amine Ouarid Kyu Mirel Braco Hrustemovic cortezia Gabriel Cortez academy squad, he spent two seasons with M80, holding down the role as the team's go-to Initiator player. Before M80, he also played for Ghost Gaming Ghost Gaming Inactive koalanoob Gianfranco Potestio NiSMO Marc-Andre Tayar aproto Alex Protopapas brawk Brock Somerhalder johnqt Mohamed Amine Ouarid for two years, and made his professional debut in Valorant with Prospects Prospects Inactive JoshRT Josh Lee Daft tetchra Howard Lebright contii Norman Yeung duck Chris Dutoit in 2020. At 31, NiSMO's return to M80 as the team's head coach likely marks the end of his playing career.

"This is the perfect opportunity for me to start building my coaching career," he said. "Thank you to all the fans, players, coaches, organizations, and everyone who supported me throughout my playing career. None of this would be possible without you. The journey does not end here, and I'm excited for you guys to see what we've got cooking."

As a player, NiSMO played a central role in helping M80 reach back-to-back Americas Ascension grand finals in 2023 and 2024. He played alongside several VCT pros in his two years as an M80 players, such as koalanoob , eeiu , zander , and johnqt , and neT .

M80 M80 North America Rank #1 Boni gMd Anthony Guimond Derrek Derrek Ha alvinboy Alvin Hong Pa1nt Amarri Peak 's full roster is now:

  • Marc-Andre "NiSMO" Tayar (Head coach)