100 Thieves part ways with Kess and Zikz ahead of VCT 2026 season

100 Thieves have officially parted ways with Head Coach Tony "Zikz" Gray and Sentinel player Drew "Kess" Lee ahead of the VCT 2026 season.

Earlier in the offseason, 100 Thieves revealed their intention to re-evaluate their entire 2025 VALORANT team ahead of the offseason. Now, the North American organization has revealed its first set of changes with the departures of Zikz and Kess.

Zikz Departs

Zikz first joined 100 Thieves ahead of the 2024 VCT season following a successful stint as the Assistant Coach of Evil Geniuses, where he helped the team win VCT 2023 - Champions. However, his past two years as the 100 Thieves Head Coach have been inconsistent. While he helped the team achieve success in 2024, such as winning VCT 2024 - Americas Stage 1 and reaching the top four at VCT 2024 - Masters Shanghai, he was unable to replicate that performance in 2025.

Despite maintaining most of the 2024 lineup, 100 Thieves were unable to break into the top four of the VCT Americas, consistently finishing as a middle-of-the-pack team. The team’s only glimmer of success came from qualifying for the EWC VALORANT - Esports World Cup 2025, where the team quickly dropped out of the tournament. The North American squad will be looking to make its way back to the top of VCT Americas in 2026 with a new Head Coach.

100 Thieves part ways with Kess after short stint

Additionally, this marks the end of Kess’s short tenure in Tier 1 with 100 Thieves. Kess came over to the team following a strong showing with QoR throughout the VCL Challengers 2025 season, earning a spot in the VCT Americas. The young rookie showcased promise at the Tier 1 level despite little time to adjust from Initator to Sentinel. Now, he will look elsewhere as he sets his sights on trying to find a Tier 1 team ahead of the VCT 2026 season.

It will be interesting to see how 100 Thieves rebuild their lineup ahead of the coming season in an effort to make their way back to the international stage.

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