NRG's 2025 season has been marked by mid-season changes and underperforming results at VCT Americas, but ended on a high note with the most prestigious event in the VALORANT sphere. The organisation hovered around playoff contention throughout last year, pushing several favorites deep into series but ultimately falling short when it came to closing out Masters qualification, until Champions Paris, where they put together a spectacular run and claimed the 2025 VALORANT World Champions title.

Rather than opting for another complete overhaul, NRG have chosen a more measured reset, extending contracts with key pieces while building a clearer identity around experience and disciplined structure like Ethan "Ethan" Arnold did, following Sam “s0m” Oh’s decision to end his competitive career after lifting the Champions trophy. The 2026 roster will see Ethan, Georgio "keiko" Sanassy, Adam "mada" Pampuch, Logan "skuba" Jenkins, and Brock "brawk" Somerhalder compete under the NRG banner.

This five-man unit has already begun its journey together, debuting as a group at Red Bull Home Ground, where they reached the grand final and fell to G2 Esports, showcasing keiko’s first official steps in NRG colours. Ethan returns as the veteran backbone and stabilising presence, mada brings explosive firepower, skuba anchors the slower, utility-heavy roles, brawk provides additional structure and support, while keiko arrives as the high-impact newcomer expected to redefine NRG’s offensive ceiling. For NRG, securing one of the best aimers in EMEA, who can also operate as a flex, offers a profile that can step into s0m’s shoes almost perfectly.

Experience, firepower and structure

The profile mix within this roster reflects NRG’s attempt to finally settle on a long-term formula. Ethan’s experience at the highest level gives the team a calm voice in tense mid-rounds, complemented by skuba’s reliability in anchoring sites and managing utility in Sentinel-focused roles. On the more aggressive side, mada and keiko form a potent duo capable of dictating the pace of attack halves, with brawk acting as a connective piece who can flex between roles depending on the map and game plan. The result is a lineup constructed to balance individual initiative with a more controlled, system-oriented approach than in previous iterations.

Behind the players, the organisation is doubling down on stability within the staff. Malcolm "bonkar" Rench continues as head coach, bringing his structured, detail-focused philosophy from previous campaigns into this new chapter. With their 2026 roster locked in early and a familiar coaching core already embedded, NRG enter VCT Americas 2026 with a clearer identity than in recent years.

The organisation is effectively betting that the combination of Ethan’s veteran presence, keiko’s fresh firepower, and bonkar’s structured approach, already tested in their first deep run at Red Bull Home Ground, will be enough not only to transform last season’s near-misses into sustained relevance within the Americas hierarchy, but also to retain the Worlds title.

NRG Roster for 2026 VCT season