Russian Valorant team M3 Champions is reportedly looking to practice without longtime member Nikita “d3ffo” Sudakov, who has been playing with the roster since September 2020.
The 20-year-old won the VCT CIS Stage 1 Masters last year, and eventually Stage 3 Masters Berlin under the Gambit Esports banner.
M3C now has its sights set on former Natus Vincere player Yaroslav “Jady” Nikolaev, according to Dot Esports’ George Geddes. Jady last played for NAVI in the VCT EMEA Stage 1 group stage, before taking a step back to focus on his mental health in May.
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Jady may replace d3ffo on M3 Champions’ starting roster
More recently, d3ffo has struggled in VCT EMEA Stage 2, failing to replicate the same form he showed last year. Throughout the entirety of Stage 2, he notched a lackluster 0.81 K/D and 176.5 Average Combat Score.
While M3C squeaked through the group stage, they once again fell short in the playoffs with losses to Guild Esports and FunPlus Phoenix, two teams that eventually qualified for Masters Copenhagen.
M3C remains one of the longest-standing rosters in professional Valorant. They have not made a change since December 2020, when Igor “Redgar” Vlasov replaced Danila “Sunset” Soloviov.
Before taking a break from the game, 18-year-old Jady had been one of the most promising players on NAVI while on KAY/O and Viper.
While M3C may have missed out on the first two international LAN events this year, they still have one last chance to qualify for Valorant Champions in the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier in August. At Valorant Champions 2021, the team placed a respectable second, after a hard-fought 2-3 series against Acend.
READ MORE: VCT Masters Copenhagen 2022: Schedule, results, teams, prize pool, and where to watch
