s0m announces break from competitive VALORANT

Longtime NRG star Sam "s0m" Oh has announced that he will be taking a break from competitive VALORANT following his win at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions.

One of the primary discussions all throughout the 2025 VCT season was centered around whether this would be s0m’s final year as a pro player. While he didn’t use the word “retirement”, the VALORANT veteran revealed that he will be taking a break from competitive and focusing on other aspects of his life.

s0m taking break from competitive VALORANT

Despite being only 23 years old, s0m is a veteran of nearly 10 years in competitive FPS titles, formerly making a name for himself as a CS:GO player. There, he was primarily known as a player for both Team Envy and Gen.G before making the switch over to VALORANT with NRG.

“I will be taking a break,” s0m said. “Definitely not forever. I think I will just be taking a break from competing.”

Since switching over to VALORANT, s0m has been a staple of the NRG brand and its VALORANT team. Throughout his time with the team, s0m developed into one of the marquee faces of the VALORANT scene for his on-screen personality and exemplary play. He was able to make his way to two VALORANT Champions, with his most recent one ending in a championship-winning run just weeks before this announcement.

“Just looking back at the year, I like to think that everything happens for a reason,” s0m said in his announcement video. “We went through a lot of ups and downs, but I truly don’t think that without all the experiences, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

As far as NRG, the organization has not yet revealed how they will move forward without s0m in the starting lineup now. While there was a brief eight-month stint without s0m in the active roster, the North American player has become synonymous with the NRG brand. It will be interesting to see how the team's lineup shapes up as they look to win their first domestic title in the VCT 2026 season next year.

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