After TSM's poor performance and the backlash they received from the community, we all knew that some changes would happen to the roster. And it happened – Matt "WARDELL" Yu, one of the best players in the NA region, will no longer represent the organization.
TSM had a lot of pressure on them from the start. Although the roster itself was pretty average (let's not be afraid to say it, they're not one of the top teams yet), the very name of the organization comes with huge expectations from the community; and that is the case in any esports game. Plus, they had Matt "WARDELL" Yu, one of the more prominent Valorant stars, that everyone sees potential in and thinks it's a matter of time until he gets on the winning streak. Well, that is not the case anymore.
TSM's Statement
In early February, the organization announced that it would be working hard to improve the performance of its roster and, for that purpose, was moving the entire Valorant team to Texas (all players and coaches). And that was supposed to be the main reason why WARDELL decided to leave the organization.
Today, we mutually parted ways with @WARDELL416.He's decided not to move to Texas with the rest of the team and has therefore chosen to step down.Matt has been an important part of TSM from the beginning, and we wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors. pic.twitter.com/6NUheMRtWi
— TSM FTX (@TSM) March 23, 2022
From what we see on social media, the mood between the players and the organization is quite friendly. We feel like TSM will now take someone from their academy. According to sources, TSM Valorant roster regularly plays with TSM Academy players, and they often meme with each other on Twitter. But still, after WARDELL's departure, TSM will have a hard time regaining its reputation, and if they fail to qualify for the Stage 2 major, they won't have much of a chance to show off in the near future.
And what's next for WARDELL? Well, he will probably just become a free agent at this point. Still, we doubt that he will stay that for too long. Like, there are just too many organizations that might want him in their Valorant rosters (*cough* 100 Thieves *cough).
Maybe you guys have some theories about what WARDELL's plan is? Because we don't think anyone believes that with what he has shown us so far, he will just drop his career, right? Reach us on Twitter and Discord, and let's have a chat about it!