VALORANT: purp0 joins Joblife for Challengers France Stage 3

On Thursday, Semyon "purp0" Borchev officially joined Joblife for Split 2 of the VALORANT Challengers France, marking a fresh start for the Russian player following his time with GIANTX in the VCT EMEA. The 22-year-old was brought into the Spanish team in 2024 as a promising talent, but GX remained at the bottom of the EMEA league throughout his one-year tenure. Following their disappointing exit from Stage 1 this season, GX overhauled their line-up. Purp0 was benched and subsequently released from the squad, leaving him a free agent heading into the summer.

Despite the setbacks of his 2024 season, purp0 reflected positively on the experience and effort invested with GX. "I am grateful to GIANTX for giving me an opportunity in VCT. We worked hard, tried our best and sacrificed a lot, but ultimately we couldn't achieve our goals," purp0 wrote on X, acknowledging the challenges while remaining determined to bounce back. Following his departure from GIANTX, the former VCT EMEA prospect made it clear that he was eager for a new challenge and ready to prove himself once more.

That opportunity now comes with Joblife in the French scene. Following a disappointing second split, the Stage 1 champions have signed a completely new line-up for the second half of the year, featuring purp0, Ryad “Shin” Ensaad, Egor “chiwa” Stepanyuk and Clément “CyvOph” Millard — four former VCT EMEA players, supposed to strengthen the line-up.

The team will be led by the only remaining player of the previous roster, Aleksander "Starxo" Pogorzelski. The 23-year-old Polish player, who won the first VALORANT world title with Acend against Gambit in 2021, will take on a new challenge by leading the squad as in-game leader for the first time in his career.

"This is obviously a new role for me," Starxo wrote in his announcement post on X.. "I'm taking it as a huge challenge that might open a new path in my life." Though the move comes with high expectations, he also acknowledged the learning curve. "There will be tough days, it's basically a brand-new roster, and it's part of the process toward success," he added. "But the guys have been super supportive so far... I couldn’t ask for a better environment to grow as a leader."