Gentle Mates have begun building their roster for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA 2026. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, the French organization has reached a verbal agreement with Taranvir “bipo” Singh, who is set to join the team from MOUZ. This is the second addition after the one of Pavle coach “pakko” Kostić, as we reported earlier.

With the addition of the Italian Duelist, Gentle Mates have locked in their primary firepower for next season. One of the team’s co-owners, Corentin “Gotaga” Houssein, had previously revealed on stream that Gentle Mates intended to keep Patrik “Minny” Hušek on the lineup, build the roster around him, and relieve him of In-Game Leading duties moving forward. This first signing could be the first step toward this process for M8.

A new challenger is coming

To kick off their rebuilding phase, Gentle Mates have decided to look toward the Challengers circuit for new talent. After a strong year competing in VCL DACH, bipo is finally set to make his debut at the top level of VALORANT competition—something he narrowly missed in previous years. During his stints with Novo and GMT, he twice took part in the EMEA Ascension tournaments, but fell short on both occasions.

Still, 2025 proved to be a good year for both bipo and MOUZ. The German organization finished 3rd-4th in both Stage 1 and Stage 2, before stepping up in Stage 3 to win the VCL DACH title. MOUZ’s final split was particularly dominant — the team remained undefeated, dropping only a single map throughout the entire stage.

That victory earned MOUZ a spot in the VALORANT Challengers EMEA tournament, where they faced off against the best Tier 2 teams in Europe. However, the team fell short of playoffs, finishing 5th–8th overall after going 2–1 in their group.

bipo was a key reason behind MOUZ’s success, especially during the Stage 3 run. He posted some of the best individual statistics in the league, topping the charts in multiple key metrics:

With this signing, Gentle Mates have landed themselves an explosive Duelist capable of unlocking rounds and could help them improve on last year's results.

A surprising third shot

Gentle Mates’ 2025 campaign in the VCT EMEA was far from ideal. The French side finished 7th–8th in the Kickoff, before collapsing entirely in the following stages, placing 11th–12th in both Stage 1 and Stage 2.

These poor results had serious consequences. Since Gentle Mates had originally earned their VCT slot through Ascension 2023, they were granted a tenure in the league with an obligation to provide performance requirements to keep their slot. Following a difficult 2024 season, M8 entered 2025 under heavy pressure: the team needed either to qualify for Champions to save their spot in VCT or at least reach playoffs (Top 8) to remain eligible for Ascension. Unfortunately, Gentle Mates achieved neither objective, which resulted in losing their VCT spot…for just under two months.

Indeed, the team’s fortunes changed when Riot Games expelled Movistar KOI from the league for “breach of contract between the club and the league.” This unexpected development freed up a slot in the EMEA franchise, which was subsequently granted to Gentle Mates, allowing the French organization to return to the top tier for the 2026 season.

Gentle Mates roster for 2026: