NA Valorant Challengers team Turtle Troop have parted ways with two players just two weeks into Split 1.
The North American team made use of the two-week break in the league to pull the trigger on roster changes, parting ways with Anthony ‘Okeanos’ Nguyen and Mohammed ‘Harmful’ Choudhary.
The changes come after a rough start to the split by Turtle Troop, who sit at the bottom of Group A following losses to Shopify Rebellion and FaZe Clan. The team is averaging 6,5 rounds per map, the second-worst record in the league.
the members of @turtletroopsval have decided to part ways with me, going to take some time to compose myself and gather my thoughts
— okeanos (@OkeanosQT) February 16, 2023
Turtle Troop have not yet announced replacements for the two departing players. The team’s next match in the Challengers league is scheduled for February 27 against BreakThru, who are joint-second in Group A with a 1-1 record.
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Turtle Troop’s rise to prominence
Turtle Troop qualified for the Challengers league via the last-chance qualifier while playing under the name ‘Squirtle Squad’. The team then made headlines when it was revealed that they had to change their name because of a Nintendo trademark.
In recent weeks, the Valorant community has rallied behind Turtle Troop in an effort to help the team find an organization. Many have called on popular content creator Ludwig Ahgren to sign the team after he became a co-owner of Moist Esports.
On his stream, Ludwig admitted that he finds the team “interesting” but expressed reservations about investing in Valorant esports because teams that aren’t partnered with Riot Games — which is the case of Turtle Troop — have to re-qualify for the Challengers league every year.
