Arriving on the competitive scene only at the start of 2026 when he joined Enterprise Esports, Denis-Stefan "
kozzy" Aionitoaei has been one of the revelations of the Tier 2 scene this season. His performances with the Czech organization have reportedly led Gentle Mates and
kozzy to reach an agreement ahead of the 2027
VALORANT Champions Tour season, according to sources close to
Sheep Esports.
After reaching verbal agreements with
Adam "kaplan" Kaplan and Emir "
Alfajer" Beder, Gentle Mates have now secured the third piece of their puzzle. kozzy was on the radar of several EMEA clubs, with some even making him offers, but it was the French organization that ultimately won the race for his signature. It is also worth noting that Gentle Mates, like the other organizations in the
VALORANT ecosystem, are not yet guaranteed a partnership spot for 2027 under the new VCT EMEA format. For the 2027 season, the minimum age will be 17 for the VCT circuit, meaning kozzy, born on February 22, 2010, will miss the EMEA Kickoff.
A special year for M8
Coming off a complicated year, which began with a last-minute return to VCT EMEA following KOI's removal by Riot Games, M8 started the year in strong fashion despite putting its roster together at the last minute. With its five-man lineup, the French organization first secured the second qualifying spot for Masters Santiago, earning a place at the first international LAN in its VALORANT history. In Chile, M8 managed to make it out of the group stage, but could not find its rhythm in the playoffs, falling to Nongshim RedForce and then All Gamers.
Back in Berlin, Gentle Mates made it through the Group Stage by the narrowest of margins before being eliminated by Eternal Fire in the second round of the playoffs, finishing the first VCT EMEA stage in 5th-6th place. Following several changes, including the departure of its Head Coach, the French club still managed to find success in the regional qualifier for the Esports World Cup, earning its place at the event. In Paris, M8 again made it out of the group stage but, as in Santiago, failed to make it past the opening round of the playoffs, losing to NRG. Ultimately, the year would end on a sour note for Mates, with a 13th-16th place finish in Stage 2 after being eliminated by two Tier 2 teams in the Play-In, Enterprise Esports, where kozzy had played, and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Kozzy, a future star?
A standout duelist in the Tier 2 scene throughout 2026, the Romanian player has undergone significant development in a very short period of time. Joining Enterprise as an almost complete unknown at the start of the season, he eventually went on to win almost everything at his level within just a few months. Already a winner of the VALORANT EMEA Clash, the Czech-Slovak organization went on to claim the first stage of Challengers North//East, followed by the Challengers EMEA title, before winning Stage 2 of their domestic VCL once again.
After a slight dip in form in the following Challengers EMEA campaign, Enterprise once again claimed the title in Stage 3 of the continental Tier 2 competition. With these two titles, the club qualified for the VCT EMEA Play-In, a format allowing the best Challengers teams to face Tier 1 organizations and even earn a chance to qualify for
VALORANT Champions Shanghai. Enterprise would be the Tier 2 team to go the furthest, first making it through the Play-In before reaching the lower bracket quarterfinals in the playoffs, where they were eliminated 2-0 by Team Liquid.
In this first experience at the highest level, the Romanian duelist still posted a 245 ACS (Average Combat Score) and 162 ADR (Average Damage per Round), ranking in the top five in both statistics, behind more established names such as Kamil "kamo" Frąckowiak or Martin "marteen" Pátek.
