FaZe Clan has benched Jirair “Gyro” Papazian, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The news comes as a surprise to Gyro himself, who made it to top six in RLCS X with FaZe, but dropped out in the first round of the Championships. A reason or replacement has not yet been announced.
“I’ll be working with @FaZeClan to find new team options heading into next season. It did catch me off guard, but now I’m just even more fired up for next season,” Gyro tweeted.
I'll be working with @FaZeClan to find new team options heading into next season. It did catch me off guard, but now I'm just even more fired up for next season.
DM or reach my management at [email protected] https://t.co/6VuhdnQZif
— Gyro. 🇦🇲 (@ExplosiveGyro) June 22, 2021
FaZe Clan and Gyro part ways after one season
Gyro joined FaZe Clan at the start of RLCS Season X along with teammates Braxton “Allushin” Lagarec and Austin “Ayyjayy” Aebi. After one season, the partnership has already come to an end. But Gyro remains on FaZe for now as they look for new options. The off-season started just days ago, with Gyro’s benching as the first high-profile roster change in North America.
Teams looking to make an improvement may start setting their sights on Gyro, as he remains a top-tier RLCS player. With an average of 0.57 goals per game and 1.71 saves per game since the start of Season X according to Octane.gg, the American/Armenian player has good stats in both offense and defense. His skills enabled star player Ayyjayy to shine with his controlling plays.
Fellow professional players and the community alike reacted to the news with shock. A roster change was not off the table after their quick elimination from the RLCS X Championships, but Gyro’s position seemed fairly safe based on his performances.
Upcomer has reached out to FaZe Clan for comment, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
