According to sources close to Sheep Esports, jungler Valentin "
Stormax" Garnier has reached a verbal agreement with
GameWard (GW) and will be making his debut
in the LFL next season. Taha "Elramir" Yurdagüven has also been considered, still according to our info. Having already reportedly acquired the services of
Théo “HONOR” Magania, GW have reunited TDS 2023’s botlane, with Matias “
Matias” Manchin-Opheltes being the only 2024 GameWard’s player who will stay in the team for next season.
In fact, the 23-year-old jungler already played for the Boulogne-Billancourt organization, back in 2021 when the team was in Div2. With disappointing results, he spent two more years in the French second division with other teams, before entering the ERL this spring with Anorthosis Esports, in the GLL. He finished second in the Greek league (1-3 against Team Phantasma) and qualified for his first EMEA Masters.
He repeated the feat in the Summer with Partizan Esports in the EBL, with a second runner-up finish and another EM qualification. He also competed in the SoloQ Challenge Battle of Jean "Trayton" Medzadourian at the end of the year, finishing in sixth place individually. But above all, second in the jungle, behind the
new G2 Esports recruit: Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan. And ahead of the man who occupied his place at GameWard this year:
Lanzo "Zicssi" Ciajolo.
With Zicssi, GameWard failed to reach the EMEA Masters Main Event this year. With an eighth-place finish in the LFL Spring Split, the team was not off to a good start despite lower expectations than most of the league’s teams. Still, GW got back on their feet for Summer, with a qualification on the edge for EMEA Masters’ LCQ. GameWard were the only team from the LFL that failed to qualify for the Swiss Stage, with a 1-2 loss against Movistar KOI. With the French league being stronger than ever, it will be interesting to see if the organization can reach new heights in 2025.
