NRG welcomed Ryan “Shanks” Ngo today, signing “Mr. Fourth Quarter” to its VALORANT roster.
The Canadian will likely take on the Oper role with Jett, though he did bring out Reyna when subbing in for Immortals during a First Strike qualifier. With NRG benching Yannick “KOLER” Blanchette last week, however, the team has yet to announce the fifth player that will round out its roster.
This signing is unsurprising since Shanks was trialing with the team during the Nerd Street Gamers November Monthly. NRG coach Chet Singh also teased the move on Twitter yesterday, telling Shanks to “get [his] ass on TeamSpeak.”
Shanks has had some pro VALORANT experience in the game’s short history. He previously trialed with Dignitas in August’s Pop Flash Invitational, helping the team take out TSM twice and finish in fourth place. But Dignitas ultimately “decided not to sign him.” The young fragger also subbed in for Immortals’ Andrew “ShoT_UP” Orlowski during last month’s UMG Closed Qualifier, aiding them in securing a spot at the main event.
With Riot’s season-long global VALORANT Champions Tour kicking off early next year, NRG will likely announce the fifth player on its roster soon.