Workforce Vitality have confirmed that Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev is leaving their VALORANT roster, closing a two-season chapter that peaked with a run to the Champions Shanghai grand closing. The French organisation broke the information in a farewell video on X, calling the Finnish duelist “the participant who helped form Vitality’s legacy”.
The choice leaves Vitality with 4 gamers below the 2027 banner and one apparent gap to fill. It additionally provides one of many greatest names in EMEA to an low season market that was already busy, as lined in our round-up of the early VALORANT low season exits.
The participant who helped form Vitality’s legacy
You introduced us our first VCT trophy, took us to our first Champions Grand Finals, and by no means stopped preventing for extra.
Thanks Derke 💛 we are going to all the time bear in mind your time as a bee. pic.x.com/v7byAiD1Oa
Workforce Vitality VALORANT (@TeamVitalityVAL) October 24, 2026
From FNATIC star to Vitality headliner
Derke arrived at Vitality in October 2024 with a fame few duelists may match. He had spent his first 4 years in skilled VALORANT at FNATIC, the place he gained LOCK//IN and Masters Tokyo in 2023, two worldwide titles in a row.
His first 12 months in yellow and black didn’t go to plan. In keeping with VLR.gg, the 2025 line-up constructed round Derke, Much less and Sayf took fourth place at Masters Bangkok, then pale in EMEA. They had been knocked out within the prime eight of each regional levels and by no means made it again to a global occasion that 12 months.
A rebuilt roster and a Champions closing
Vitality began once more for 2026. Chronicle joined from FNATIC, whereas Jamppi and PROFEK had been signed from BBL Esports. The crew was solely fifth at Kickoff whereas it waited for Sayonara to show 18, however as soon as the Romanian was eligible the outcomes improved shortly: runner-up in Stage 1, then a fourth-place end at Masters London.
Qualification for Champions Shanghai was tight. Vitality made an early exit from the Stage 2 playoffs and solely reached China as EMEA’s fourth seed due to their factors complete. As soon as there, their solely defeats got here in opposition to LOUD, and so they reached the grand closing, the place they misplaced 3-1 to LOUD, who turned the primary organisation to win Champions twice. Vitality had overwhelmed LOUD earlier within the occasion, and the ultimate was the membership’s first look on the final day of a Champions.
Who’s left, and what comes subsequent
With out Derke, the energetic Vitality roster is Jamppi, PROFEK, Chronicle and Sayonara. Coaches PAL and Scuttt, analyst slk and supervisor Bangovic stay on the employees. The membership has already been confirmed as a VCT partnered crew for 2027.
Neither the membership nor the participant has mentioned the place Derke will go subsequent. With many VCT contracts operating out on November 2, the approaching fortnight is prone to resolve each his subsequent crew and the form of the Vitality line-up that can attempt to go one higher than Shanghai.
