Acend have signed Vakaris “vakk” Bebravičius and Ondřej “MONSTEERR” Petrů to their VALORANT roster as part of their rebuild for VALORANT Champions Tour 2022 Stage 2, the organization announced on Friday.
Having won VCT 2021 Champions in Berlin, Germany, Acend started off 2022 poorly. They finished their group in Stage 1 EMEA with a 2-3 record and did not make it to the playoffs for Stage 1 Masters contention. Ahead of Stage 2, which starts in May, Acend have let go of Vladyslav “Kiles” Shvets and Santeri “BONECOLD” Sassi.
Rebuilt to conquer.
Welcome@vakkfps@aMONSTEERR#RiseUP pic.twitter.com/6bmJCvK2fk
— ACEND CLUB (@AcendClub) April 29, 2022
Acend look for redemption with vakk and MONSTEERR
In-game leader BONECOLD was the first on the chopping block once Acend began to struggle. The team had shown what they were capable of just a few months earlier, so a rebuild after one poor tournament was, in some fans’ eyes, perhaps a bit hasty.
Then, a few weeks later, Acend also benched Kiles after rumors in March had already suggested MONSTEERR would be replacing him. Both players were released from the organization on April 28 and 29.
Vakk previously played for Team Vitality and made various VCT appearances throughout 2021. They missed out on qualifying for VCT 2022 Stage 1 and in April, organization dropped their roster. On Acend, vakk will take on the role of in-game leader.
MONSTEERR is less accomplished than vakk, having played in smaller tournaments, but they most recently failed to qualify for VCT 2022 with Giants. Afterward, they set their sights on conquering the Spanish Regional League in an attempt to claim a spot in the VCT Stage 2 promotion tournament — though they fell short in the semi-final.
VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers begins on May 13 and runs until June 26, followed by Stage 2 Masters at a yet-to-be-announced location and date.
