GIANTX has made major mid-season changes to its VALORANT roster during the ongoing VCT EMEA Stage 1. The team has removed initiator Emil ‘runneR’ Trajkovski and duelist Tomás ‘tomaszy’ Machado from the starting lineup. They have brought in Karel ‘Flickless’ Maeckelbergh and Hanceriuc ‘ara’ Eduard-George, who come from the Challenger team UCAM Esports through the Affiliate Partnership Programme. The new duo will debut for GIANTX against Fnatic on April 17th.
GIANTX Makes Roster Changes in Bid to Reignite Performance and Improve Results for the Season
GIANTX shared on X (Twitter) that they see the hard work and performances from the Challengers League and believe it could reignite their competitive momentum. The team made this decision to regain their footing and improve results for the rest of the season. They acknowledged, “Our results this year have not reflected the standards we want to hold ourselves to at GIANTX. After trying to rework our current roster, we now feel the need to make more drastic changes.”
GIANTX confirmed that runneR will remain in Berlin as the sixth player, while tomaszy has been benched and will return to Portugal. The team expressed their gratitude, saying, “We want to thank both runneR and tomaszy for their hard work, individual effort, team contribution, and unwavering commitment to the organization despite the results.” So far, GIANTX has underperformed in both the EMEA Kickoff and Stage 1 of 2025, securing only one series win.
Struggle for Playoff Spot: Near-Perfect Performance Required Alongside External Results
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The team still holds a slim chance of qualifying for the Stage 1 playoffs, but it must play near-perfect VALORANT and hope that other teams, such as NAVI, lose the remainder of their matches. Additionally, GIANTX will need to maintain a higher map differential to advance further in the competition. With the pressure mounting, the squad must remain focused, improve their performances, and rely on favorable outcomes from other teams to keep their playoff hopes alive.