Homeless Find a Roof as Dignitas Enters VALORANT

North American organization Dignitas has shown itself to be charitable by signing the four-person core of the Homeless roster. The Dignitas Homeless VALORANT roster was announced to be a participant in Pop Flash, the latest IGNITION SERIES event. While many fans had speculated on who might play under the black and gold banner, Homeless have proved themselves worthy by recently beating 100 Thieves, T1 and Team Envy.

The Homeless VALORANT team consisted of Rory "dephh" Jackson, Harrison "psalm" Chang, Phat "supamen" Le, Kevin "POISED" Ngo, and Leonardo "Laski" Arroyo, with the latter departing the team a few days before the signing.

In their time together, the squad placed 3rd-4th and 5th-6th at the PAX Arena Invitational and the Pittsburgh Knights Invitational Gauntlet Series, respectively. While the results may not be astronomical, the stack hasn't been together for very long and shows promise for great things to come. An incredibly exciting aspect that may contribute to the roster's longevity is that the quartet comes from a variety of backgrounds. While their different views on the game may cause arguments in the future, it could also be a key component to the team's longterm success. 

The wandering Brit

A notable name in Counter-Strike Global Offensive, dephh is a familiar face to many as he represented Complexity Gaming for several years in Valve's FPS. The Brit was a veteran of the scene and his experience with first-person shooters becomes apparent when playing Cypher. His understanding of map rotations makes him a deadly player on the Sentinel and his wealth of knowledge will prove to be invaluable moving forward. Alongside psalm, he also notably helped FaZe Clan to a 4th place finish in the T1 x Nerd Street Gamers Showdown.

Jack of all trades

The runner-up of the Solo Fortnite World Cup Finals, psalm is no stranger to competition and is rapidly becoming his team's star. He's known for having incredibly flashy aim and an unconventional playstyle, showcased in his willingness to use the Ares and Odin. His experience in Fortnite and Heroes of the Storm gives him a different approach to the game than his CS:GO peers. Hungry to become one of the top esports athletes of all time, psalm is definitely someone to keep on your radar. 

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

The other star of the show is supamen, an ex-professional CrossFire player. He was considered one of the best North American players in CrossFire but was banned for attempting to steal keyboards at an event. The sharp aim he was known for in the previous shooter has translated in VALORANT as he has averaged a 1.24 K:D and 242.7 ACS while playing Brimstone. The firepower he brings to the table while playing a supportive character like Brim makes him an invaluable part of the roster. With his past behind him, supamen is ready to smoke his enemies under Dignitas.

Composed; calm; self-assured

The final piece of the puzzle is POISED, who played in the lower echelons of North America CS for many years. He participated in Season 34 of the Moutain Dew League with blood, sweat and tears before transitioning to VALORANT. Since linking up with Homeless, POISED has become a Sage main and supports his teammates from the backlines. DIG is by far the largest organization that the Canadian has represented and this is a pivotal moment in his esports career. 

OPing conundrum 

While Laski's removal may initially come as a surprise, the move becomes understandable when considering that the team is looking for a primary Operator player. Though Laski is more than capable of wielding the sniper, his strength has always lied in rifling, even in CS:GO. A hybrid role would be much more suitable for him moving forward and, given his experience and skill, it's incredibly unlikely that he will remain homeless for much longer.

A likely pickup for the Dignitas VALORANT team is Zachary "Venerated" Roach, the Operator player for 100 Thieves prior to its roster overhaul. Now a free agent, Venerated would be a perfect candidate for DIG as he has shown plenty of potential while OPing for 100T. Interestingly, if his addition comes to fruition, only dephh and POISED would have competitive backgrounds in CS:GO as Venerated was a professional PUBG player. Between psalm, supamen and Venerated, the team would have incredible firepower. Pair that with dephh's experience and POISED supportive capabilities and you have a tasty recipe for success. We will have to wait and see who Dignitas signs.

The future

The four players now representing Dignitas, similarly to together we are terrific (now Envy), have proven to be a deadly force in a very short period. The fact that they were picked up so quickly shouldn't come as a surprise, but it leaves to be seen if the team can perform at Pop Flash. With very little time between Laski's departure and the arrival of a new OPer, DIG may struggle to hit the ground running. The Operator is an incredibly influential weapon and its wielder must be incredibly talented to contend with the likes of Matthew "Wardell" Yu and Tyson "TenZ" Ngo. Dignitas will face both of the aforementioned Canadians in their quest for playoffs as they share their group with Team SoloMid, Cloud9 and Gen.G Esports. The former Homeless players won't only seek to prove themselves under DIG's banner; they aim for revenge against C9 who ended both of their previous tournament runs. Dignitas is a household name in esports and its venture into VALORANT bodes well for the future of the scene. While it'd be unreasonable to expect DIG to win Pop Flash, a deep run at B Site's event certainly isn't out of the question.