DarkZero Esports entered VALORANT on June 24, 2021 by signing the free agent Kooky Koalas roster. The majority of that core roster remained intact and the final pieces of the puzzle were put into place prior to the 2022 VCT.

Jamal “jammyz” Bangash completed the active roster and Neil “neilzinho“ Finlay was added as a coach. The team looked poised for a big season, but that came to a screeching halt as jammyz and three of his teammates are now LFT.

DarkZero benches all but ScrewFace

Big changes coming to @DarkZeroGG, it was an absolute pleasure during the short time we spent together @andersin_val @KOLER1337 @Ange_AMIL @jammyzx. It wasn't what was expected but its just the start for you guys, with or without DZ. Best of luck in the future ♥️

— neilzinho (@neilzinho) February 8, 2022

For the time being, neilzinho will stay on as the team’s coach and Kyle “ScrewFace“ Jensen is the only active player on the roster. This massive change is a bit of a surprise, but does come after some lesser showings in the VCT open qualifiers.

In the first qualifier, DarkZero fell to the Lower Bracket after losing to Knights and were subsequently eliminated by Team Basilisk. The second qualifier saw them fall to Team Rocket in the Round of 64, before a Lower Bracket became available just one round later.

It only stands to reason that those results are why jammyz, Adam “Ange” Milian, Andy “Andersin” Collins, and Yannick “KOLER” Blanchette were all made inactive.

Each player tweeted that they are LFT and have been allowed to explore options outside of DarkZero Esports. It is unknown at this time what’s next for DZ, what players they may have their on, or what the future has in store for the inactive four. A Kooky Koalas reunion could and should be on the table with jammyz replacing ScrewFace, as Nick “Harmon“ Harmon is still a free agent.

Stay tuned to Run It Back for more breaking news as the 2022 VCT continues!