Fnatic Signed Elmapuddy As The New Valorant Head Coach

Fnatic were one of the world's best and most successful Valorant teams in the 2023 season. They won VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo and VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo, placed second at VCT 2023: EMEA League, and finished the year with a fourth-place finish at VALORANT Champions 2023.

So, even though most teams decided to freshen up their Valorant lineups for the 2024 season, it made sense for Fnatic to decide to keep its roster intact. However, while all players decided to stay, Fnatic had to look for a new head coach.

Mini, who led Fnatic since February 2021 and helped the European squad establish itself as one of the best in the world, has decided to leave the team in September to explore options for a better work-life balance, leaving Fnatic with a huge void to fill.

Now, just two months later, Fnatic found a suitable replacement in Elmapuddy.

Elmapuddy is a former Counter-Strike coach who transitioned to Valorant in September 2021 when he took over the role as a coach of Gen.G Esports. With the team, Elmapuddy hasn't accomplished much in his debut year but found some success in 2023.

Despite the team's slow start at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo (17th-32nd), Elmapuddy helped Gen.G find some success at VCT 2023: Pacific League, where Gen.G placed fourth but then narrowly missed out on qualifying for VALORANT Champions 2023, with a third-place finish at VCT 2023: Pacific Last Chance Qualifier.

Although not as decorated at mini, Elmapuddy joins Fnatic with an abundance of experience as a coach – a position he has held since 2018 when he joined ORDER's Counter-Strike team.

The Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2024 season is set to start on February 1, 2024.