Shroud Set To Come Out Of Retirement And Compete In VALORANT

VALORANT esports has pinched some of the top-calibre propositions from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as the flashy new FPS has become a new haven for resurgent talents and upcoming prospects.

Most recently, French phenomenon Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt made the switch to VALORANT, with Danish dynamo Markus "Kjaerbye" Kjærbye expected to follow in his footsteps after retiring from CS.

NBK is set to join the likes of Spencer "Hiko" Martin and Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan in transitioning to a top tier side, both of whom have already seen much success in the early stages of the games esports life. 

Now, another set of CS legends could be making an appearance in competitive VALORANT, as Michael "shroud" Grzesiek and Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert are set to come out of retirement and team together.

Shroud and n0thing hint at Competing in VALORANT 

After retiring in 2017, Shroud has only ever made one attempt to return to the main stage. The former Cloud9 star reunited with n0thing in a team named Old Guys Club to compete in Katowice 2019, although the fairytale was short-lived with Shroud himself being unavailable for their second fixture and ultimately forfeiting the event. The alibi was rumoured to be his Mixer negotiations meeting, although it was never confirmed.

OGC member Sean "Sgares" Gares is also set to pull on his party pants and reunite with his former teammates, alongside inactive 100 Thieves player Quan "dicey" Tran plus one more. 

Shroud confirmed the team is looking to play in VALORANT Championship Tour Stage 3 Open Qualifiers, although it will be "just for fun".

Who will Shroud team with at the VCT Qualifiers?

With the team suspected to boast Shroud, n0thing, Sgares, and dicey, the fifth member is still yet to be confirmed.

Whilst many may be hoping for a full original Cloud9 reunion, the likelihood that either Hiko or ShahZam can be pried away from their successful teams, in Sentinels and 100 Thieves respectfully, is minimal.

ShahZam is currently the reigning international champion, having won VALORANT's first LAN in Stage 2. Meanwhile, Hiko will be looking to put the woes of Stage 2 behind him to recapture some of 100 Thieves' early glory.

Should Shroud and co. find a fifth member and reform Old Guys Club, they could be on the main stage as early as next week, with the NA qualifiers already in motion.