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The VCT Stage 2 roster window just slammed shut and the fallout is massive: Gen.G loses its IGL, GLYPH crosses the Atlantic to join Envy, and EDG heads to EWC without Smoggy.
Basic finally gets to play for FURIA after a year-long visa nightmare, cb is officially cut by EDG days before EWC, grubinho leaves GIANTX, and more. Here's every VCT Stage 2 roster move you need to know before play kicks off July 16. 🔥
© Riot Games — VCT Americas 2026
In one of the most human stories of the entire VCT Stage 2 window, Matheus "basic" Gomes is finally, officially a FURIA player. After more than a year of waiting, visa delays, and a limbo that felt endless for one of the most highly-rated free agents in Americas, basic makes his debut just in time for Stage 2.
basic signed with FURIA back in 2025, but repeated visa complications kept him off the server. He watched from the sidelines as his new teammates competed, unable to suit up for a team that needed him. The wait is over: basic is cleared, in the lineup, and ready to compete.
This is more than a roster move. For VCT Americas fans, it's a long-overdue payoff on a storyline that dragged through most of 2025. Keep an eye on FURIA, they've added a serious mechanical upgrade just before the VCT Americas Stage 2 schedule kicks off.
After three separate stints spanning three years, Gen.G and Kim "Lakia" Jong-min are finally going their separate ways. The Initiator-turned-IGL was one of the defining players of Gen.G's dominant 2024 run: he helped win Pacific Kickoff, anchored the roster that took down Team Heretics at Masters Shanghai, and became the first Korean-led team to win a non-Kickoff split in VCT history.
The departure stings because the context is rough. Gen.G finished 9th-10th in Stage 1 and slid to 11th-12th in Stage 2 of 2025, a collapse from their near-untouchable 2024 form. Lakia had missed most of 2025 with a wrist injury, returned to limited stage time, and the rebuild clearly did not go as planned.
Lakia's next move is unknown, but expect him to resurface. His IGL credentials remain elite. Gen.G now faces an immediate question for Stage 2: who calls the game?
Conner "GLYPH" Garcia is making the jump from EMEA to Americas, inking a deal with Envy ahead of VCT Americas Stage 2. The controller specialist spent seven months at Gentle Mates, helping the team reach a top-8 finish at Masters Santiago 2026 before being replaced by Proxh just weeks after Stage 1 ended.
The casualty of the signing: Matteo "P0PPIN" Weber, the last original member of the RANKERS lineup still active, gets moved to the reserve roster. P0PPIN had been filling the IGL role for Envy during what the org describes as a "season full of challenges and changes."
GLYPH joins a core of Eggsterr, Demon1, Rossy, and keznit, giving Envy a fresh controller in the mix. Whether this shakes up their standings is Stage 2's big question.
© Riot Games
EDG head to the Esports World Cup 2026 in an increasingly dire roster situation. Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao picked up a severe wisdom tooth infection during Masters London that triggered high fever and forced surgery in the offseason. He won't recover in time for Paris.
His replacement on the active roster: Dale "signed" Tang, EDG's head coach, who steps in as a player for EWC group stage. EDG were ranked first in China heading into this tournament, so the stakes couldn't be higher. Their group includes BBL Esports, 100 Thieves, and Rex Regum Qeon.
Now comes the second blow. cb, listed as a substitute and reportedly struggling with visa complications for Paris, has been officially released by EDG after just two events with the org. EDG go into EWC without both Smoggy and cb, running a depleted lineup at the highest-stakes event of the summer. Check the VCT EWC 2026 group breakdown for the full picture of what they're walking into. 📉
The biggest headline entering Stage 2 is basic finally suiting up for FURIA. A team that has been waiting on a real upgrade for over a year now has one, and the competitive implications for Americas are real.
Gen.G without Lakia is a structural puzzle heading into a stage where IGL quality wins series. Envy betting on GLYPH over P0PPIN signals a direction shift toward raw mechanicals over in-game leadership. And EDG starting EWC with their head coach on the server, without both Smoggy and cb, is either a calculated risk or a recipe for an upset.
The Teams Heretics roster is also dealing with its own disruptions this cycle, including neilzinho's ACL injury before VCT EMEA Stage 2.
For those who followed Leviatán's Masters London title run, the competitive landscape is shifting fast. If you want to track your own ranked Valorant progress while the pros shuffle rosters, jump into a ladder on Amber.gg and put your skills to the test. 🎮
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