Maikls "
SerialKiller" Ždanov is set to join CGN Esports’s
VALORANT team for
the VCT 2027 season, sccording to sources close to
Sheep Esports. The Sentinel player most notably played for Team Liquid in EMEA Stage 1 2025 and helped the team qualify for Masters Toronto, where he split time with Erik “
penny” Penny.
The Latvian player has already competed with CGN and won THE POKAL 2026 online tournament. SerialKiller will join Vincent “Vince” Kranz and Berkant “Wolfen” Joshkun. Duelist player Samed “samed” Topbas is also expected to renew his contract with CGN till the end of 2027.
A potential redemption arc?
Upon joining Team Liquid, SerialKiller had a good amount of hype behind him as he posted great stats during his time with Chipi Chapa’s in 2024 and HGE Esports during VCL 2025 Spain Stage 1. However, he struggled to replicate these performances on the big stage as he primarily played Astra and Tejo since IGL Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin already operated as the Sentinel for Team Liquid.
He was soon released after the end of Masters Toronto and played for FOKUS and Pixel Anima. In his return to tier two EMEA, SerialKiller most notably placed 9th-12th in the EMEA 2026 Clash tournament and 5th-8th in the 2026 EMEA Challengers LCQ with FOKUS. He went on to win EVC: The Surge 13 with Pixel Anima, a team that also featured former G2 Esports player Aaro "hoody" Peltokangas.
With CGN Esports, it is possible that he will be back on his comfort Sentinel role for the team and Wolfen being more of a secondary Sentinel/Controller hybrid, as evidenced by their matches in the POKAL CUP. It is also worth noting that CGN Esports will not be a partnered team for VCT 2027 and will have to compete in the Open Qualifiers to qualify for the Kickoff tournament.
The 2027 season for VALORANT esports will be a major shake up for the entire ecosystem with Open Qualifiers being introduced. Every team has a possibility to make a run and qualify for an international event regardless of their status as a partnered team or not. Plenty of exciting roster changes are already on the horizon as teams like Fnatic, G2 Esports, and Gentle Mates have become active early in the off-season window.
With a promising core of veteran talent and young blood in Vince, samed, and Wolfen, CGN will be one of the teams to keep an eye out for in VCT 2027 EMEA.
