Sources: MAGNUM reaches verbal agreement with Gentle Mates

Sources: MAGNUM reaches verbal agreement with Gentle Mates | Sheep Esports

MAGNUM would join Ruxic, Alfajer and kozzy in Gentle Mates' 2027 rebuild

Martin “MAGNUM” Penkov has reached a verbal agreement with Gentle Mates to join the organization for the 2027 VCT EMEA season, according to sources close to Sheep Esports. The Czech player is set to leave Enterprise Esports after spending the 2026 season with the Tier 2 organization.

MAGNUM was part of Enterprise’s successful run through the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-In and Playoffs. The team eventually reached the Lower Bracket before being eliminated by Team Liquid, ending one of the closest Tier 2 challenges to the VCT EMEA teams during the second stage of the season.

Another piece of Gentle Mates’ rebuild

MAGNUM would become the latest addition to a Gentle Mates project that is already taking shape ahead of the 2027 season. Sheep Esports previously reported that Uğur “Ruxic” Güç is set to join the organization, while Emir “Alfajer” Beder and Denis-Stefan “kozzy” Aionitoaei are also expected to join M8.

The potential arrival of MAGNUM would give Gentle Mates another player with recent Tier 2 experience, following kozzy’s breakout season with Enterprise. The organization would therefore combine established Tier 1 experience with players who have recently competed at the top of the EMEA Challengers scene.

Gentle Mates are also set to have Adam “kaplan” Kaplan as part of their plans for next season. The organization is expected to continue reshaping its roster ahead of the new VCT EMEA format.

However, like every other organization in the region, Gentle Mates are not yet guaranteed a partnership spot under the new VCT EMEA format for 2027.

A difficult end to M8’s 2026 season

Gentle Mates’ 2026 campaign began with an unexpected return to VCT EMEA after Riot Games removed KOI from the partnership league. Despite having to assemble its roster late, M8 quickly made an impact, securing the second European seed at Kickoff and qualifying for Masters Santiago.

The French team made it through the group stage in Chile but were eliminated in the playoffs after consecutive losses to Nongshim RedForce and All Gamers.

M8 later finished 5th-6th at VCT EMEA Stage 1 and qualified for the Esports World Cup. In Paris, the organization once again reached the playoffs after advancing from its group, eventually finishing 5th-6th.

The season ended on a more difficult note, however, with Gentle Mates finishing 13th-16th in VCT EMEA Stage 2 after being eliminated in the Play-In by two Tier 2 teams, Enterprise Esports and Eintracht Frankfurt.

The loss to Enterprise is particularly relevant to the organization’s offseason plans, with MAGNUM now set to move in the opposite direction and join the team he helped eliminate from VCT EMEA competition.