Leviatán remove Demon1 and Rossy from the starting lineup ahead of Stage 2

After a rough tournament at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Americas Stage 1, there was no doubt Leviatán were in dire need of some changes. Now, the organization is wasting no time in making moves as they announce their decision to allow Max "Demon1" Mazanov and Daniel "Rossy" Abedrabbo to explore their options ahead of Stage 2.

Whether the team will be able to find the appropriate replacements before the start of Stage 2 remains to be seen as Leviatán look to recover from their recent woes in order to come back stronger for the next stage of competition in the Americas.

Leviatán struggles, Demon1 and Rossy pay the price

After stumbling early on in the season at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Americas Kickoff, Leviatán made the decision to bench former EMEA player Nathan "nataNk" Bocqueho in order to bring Rossy in. With a new lineup, the team managed to grab only a single match win over the course of the Group Stage at Stage 1. Leviatán's 1-4 final scoreline ultimately saw the team be eliminated from Stage 1 before the start of the Playoffs.

Disappointing as the team's finish was, Leviatán's early elimination from the tournament also presented the organization with an opportunity. Their absence from the Playoffs as well as the upcoming VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025 means that Leviatán will have more than two months of downtime; plenty of time to work on a rebuild.

Out with the new?

To start things off, Leviatán has opted to allow both of their latest acquisitions explore their options moving forward. Admittedly, Demon1 never did quite reach his previous heights during his time on Leviatán after coming in to replace none other than Erick "aspas" Santos. The player that led Evil Geniuses to the trophy at VCT 2023 - Champions was able to show flashes of brilliance in Stage 1 for his new team, yet struggled to remain consistent throughout.

Meanwhile, Rossy readies himself to say goodbye to his teammates at Leviatán after less than two months with the team, marking his future with overwhelming uncertainty. It's worth remembering that Rossy joined Cloud9 at the end of last year, yet left the squad before playing a single official match in the VCT for the team. Now, the North American player will be hoping he's able to find a new place to call home before the start of Stage 2 comes about in July.

For the time being, it seems Leviatán is banking on the experience and synergy of their veteran core of Ian "tex" Botsch, Corbin Daniel "C0M" Lee, and Francisco "kiNgg" Alberto Aravena to continue to guide the team moving forward. Over the course of little more than a year working in tandem under the Leviatán banner, the trio have proven they have what it takes to get it done after leading the team to a trophy at the VCT 2024 - Americas Stage 2, as well as a commendable third place finish at VCT 2024 - Champions 2024.

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Featured Image Source: Tina Jo/Riot Games