nitr0 leaves 100 Thieves Valorant as CSGO return rumors ramp up
Colin Young-Wolff for Riot Games100 Thieves’ Valorant star Nick ‘nitr0’ Cannella has officially left ahead of the 2022 season, sparking rumors of an imminent return to CSGO. Cannella has been pinned for a return to Counter-Strike since early November.
100 Thieves’ Valorant rebuild is continuing after the team’s disappointing end to 2021, with marquee star nitr0’s rumored departure finally being confirmed.
“As we continue to reshape our VALORANT roster for the future, we are announcing the transfer of nitr0 from 100 Thieves,” the organization said on December 7.
“Nick helped to create a winning culture and lifted us to championship heights. We’d like to wish him the best in his next chapter.”
As we continue to reshape our VALORANT roster for the future, we are announcing the transfer of @nitr0 from 100 Thieves.
Nick helped to create a winning culture and lifted us to championship heights. We'd like to wish him the best in his next chapter. pic.twitter.com/8XUN8tYrEq
— 100 Thieves VALORANT (@100T_VAL) December 7, 2021
Cannella didn’t announce his next steps after Valorant, but he did hint on his own departure post that news on his future would be released soon.
“Thank you so much 100T for the opportunity to compete under such a great organization. More on my future soon,” he said on Twitter.
Joining 100 Thieves in August 2020, nitr0 pushed 100 Thieves to a 3-4th finish at Valorant Masters Berlin, as well as a First Strike NA title in late 2020. However, the side failed to qualify for Champions, losing to Cloud9 in the NA Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).
It comes after reports in November the former Team Liquid CS:GO star was considering a return to his old stomping ground. Nitr0 was spotted playing numerous FACEIT games in November after 100 Thieves was eliminated from Valorant Champions contention.
While not definitive confirmation, a report by Upcomer cited sources indicating a potential homecoming to Team Liquid as one option for the NA star.
ESLCannella has also been playing some Halo in his off-season, placing Top 32 in one of the HCS Raleigh open qualifiers.
100 Thieves are undertaking a full rebuild ahead of the VCT 2022 season, offloading former IGL Josh ‘steel’ Nissan, Quan ‘dicey’ Tran, and Aaron ‘b0i’ Thao. Steel and dicey were on the bench for a number of months, while b0i competed in the NA LCQ ahead of Champions.
The 100 Thieves Valorant roster is now as follows:
- Spencer ‘Hiko’ Martin
- Peter ‘Asuna’ Mazuryk
- Ethan ‘Ethan’ Arnold
- Johann ‘seven’ Hernandez (Substitute)