Moist Esports’ mid-split entry into VALORANT and the NA Challengers League commanded a lot of attention, but the former BreakThru roster brought on by new Moist co-owner Ludwig could miss out on a major Ascension stepping stone thanks to another unsigned team that’s reportedly caught a big creator’s eye.
Turtle Troop, the last unsigned roster of free agents competing in the NA VALORANT Challengers League, have won both of their past two matches since swapping two players—and won them decisively. They’ve now gone from 0-2 to 2-2, are on the path to qualifying for the Mid-Season Face Off, and are in talks with a potential new owner in massive Twitch creator xQc.
After their 0-2 start and prior to a lengthy break between week two and week three to account for the VCT LOCK//IN, Turtle Troop made a significant roster move by dropping Okeanos and Harmful, only to pick up TiGG and mummAy a week later. The team’s first test was a must-win match against the former BreakThru roster making their debut as Moist Moguls.
Turtle Troop ended up spoiling the Moist Moguls’ debut and Ludwig’s watch party, securing an overtime comeback on Fracture before winning on Moist’s Pearl pick. But Turtle Troop have now made things go from bad to worse for Moist Moguls after a stunningly dominant week four 2-0 victory over G2, which included an unexpected 13-1 stomp on Fracture.
By beating G2 and moving to 2-2 themselves, Turtle Troop have now made it much harder for the currently 1-2 Moist Moguls to finish top four in their group and make it to the Face Off. No Face Off means fewer points, which means a tougher road to NA playoffs, which means a tougher path to Ascension and possibly VCT Americas.
The sudden rise of Turtle Troop means that Moist Moguls’ match today against Shopify Rebellion is effectively a must-win.
