A top contender for the VCL South Asia title, Orangutan’s revamped Indian-Filipino lineup is a must-watch.
INDIA – In the process of putting together a new lineup for VCT 2023, Orangutan secured the services of former Enigma Gaming quartet Akram “Rawfiul” Virani, Sabyasachi “Antidote” Bose, Rishi “RvK” Vijayakumar, and Jm “tesseract” Ignacio, with former South Built Esports member Azis “azys” Nandang rounding out the starting five.
The announcement came a month after Enigma Gaming announced the departure of the team, confirming earlier reports by Talkesport and Seulgi about the potential acquisition.
“As we say goodbye to our VALORANT roster, we are grateful for all the memories and experiences we have shared together. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. We will always cherish the bond we have formed, and the time we have spent together.” the statement reads. In a piece of EG-related news, the only player who will not be heading to Orangutan is Norbu “Karam1L” Tsering.
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The core trio of this roster, formed by Rawfiul, Antidote, and RvK, are most notable for their time in the VCT 2022 circuit, where the trio managed to impress, helping the side stay consistently within South Asia’s top two last year. The trio possesses years of domestic experience, having won TEC Challenger Series 8 and Skyesports Pro Invitational Season 1, as well as finishing as runners-up in six significant competitions, including Skyesports Champions Series.
Despite this, the EG squad still suffered shortcomings with APAC-level competition, with an early exit in the 2022 VCT APAC Stage 2 Challengers and VALORANT India Invitational by Galaxy Racer.
This signing also sees the return of tesseract to the organization, having competed under the OGT banner for a brief spell in mid-2022 before jumping ship to Enigma Gaming in September. During his time under the OGT banner, the Filipino Sova managed to put up respectable numbers, accumulating an average rating of 237.66 across three tournaments played, two of which culminated in second runners-up finishes.
Joining the former EG quarter in this new adventure is azys, who now starts his new journey outside of the Philippines for the first time after spending the past two VCT seasons with South Built Esports. The flex player’s most notable achievements with that team include victories in VCT Philippines Stage 1 Challengers and Mineski VxV 2021 and 2022.
Orangutan’s new lineup looks as follows:
- 🇮🇳 Akram “Rawfiul” Virani
- 🇮🇳 Sabyasachi “Antidote” Bose
- 🇮🇳 Rishi “RvK” Vijayakumar
- 🇵🇭 Jm “tesseract” Ignacio
- 🇵🇭 Azis “azys” Nandang
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Cover photo courtesy of Orangutan
