After virtually three years with British group Fnatic, Valorant star Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov has determined to maneuver on from the group and be a part of Vitality.
Chronicle will hyperlink again up with former Fnatic teammate Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev on his new group, and can now be checked out as a focus of their roster because the French group makes an attempt to develop into a powerhouse in Valorant like they’ve in different esports.
That mentioned, Vitality are removed from a powerhouse at the moment, having certified for just one VCT Masters occasion in 2025. Chronicle could also be a blockbuster signing that might see them constantly attain these occasions, however provided that he’s leaving Fnatic, a group constantly putting on the very high, it’s laborious to have a look at this transfer as something however a mistake for Chronicle.
Chronicle’s Large Mistake
In Chronicle’s three years on Fnatic, they’ve arguably been essentially the most constantly aggressive group on the earth. They could not have all the time been one of the best group — they solely received VCT 2023: LOCK//IN Sao Paulo and VCT Masters Tokyo 2023 in that point — however 2025 noticed them end as runners up on three events.
At any given cut-off date, it’s truthful to say they’re closest to profitable the subsequent Valorant Champions occasion resulting from that consistency.
Fnatic’s hopes of lastly profitable a Champions occasion after coming agonisingly shut in 2025 additionally acquired an enormous increase previously month, their captain Jake “Boaster” Howlett signed a brand new contract after rumours of potential retirement.
With Fnatic’s system secured and the firepower they maintain, was it due to this fact not a better choice to stay by the group, relatively than to strive his luck with a group that may barely even qualify for the LANs?
Champions, which Fnatic misplaced 3–2 after coming near a reverse sweep in opposition to NRG, isn’t even the primary time that Chronicle has come inside touching distance of Valorant’s largest prize. He misplaced one other Grand Remaining, 3-2, to Ascend whereas nonetheless a member of Gambit.
With that in thoughts, and contemplating that Chronicle is heralded as one of many biggest gamers within the sport’s historical past, this additionally turns into a query of legacy. Valorant’s historical past should be brief, however we’re quick approaching the purpose the place all that issues will likely be in case you managed to carry the massive one or not, and it’s plain that becoming a member of Vitality is a step backwards in that respect.
After all, Chronicle could possibly be step one in a rebuild as Vitality seems to be to construct a superteam. They do now have a strong basis in him and Derke, however provided that Chronicle’s transfer was closely rumoured and there are at the moment no different rumours about Vitality, this feels unlikely.
That is all to say that Chronicle is taking an enormous danger with this transfer. Fnatic’s lineup was on the cusp of greatness, simply maps and rounds away from having a degree of dominance that has by no means been seen earlier than on a world scale. Success isn’t dominated out on his new group, nevertheless it’s a lot additional away, and that could possibly be one thing that quickly turns into painfully clear.
