According to reports, LOUD, the prominent Brazilian VALORANT team, has secured its fifth player, Gabriel “qck” Lima, formerly with FURIA. This move comes as LOUD is reorganizing its roster following the departure of their star player, Erick “aspas” Santos, marking a significant development in the ongoing Americas off-season.
The Brazilian news outlet The Enemy has disclosed that LOUD has reached a verbal agreement with qck, who previously played for FURIA. Although qck is known for his proficiency on the Jett character, his recent role on FURIA had him playing as a flex player. To replace one of the world’s top Jett players in aspas, qck may need to return to his original role. Alternatively, this could result in a reshaped LOUD roster with players taking on different positions, and qck stepping in as a flex player when required.
This announcement follows closely after The Enemy reported that LOUD’s former head coach, Daniel “fRoD” Montaner, would not be returning to the team in 2024. While the change in head coach is a significant development, the addition of qck fills a crucial position on the team. Qck is an experienced VALORANT player, having competed for FURIA, a close rival to LOUD, over the past two years.
In 2021, FURIA was one of the top teams in the South American region, but in 2022, LOUD surpassed them in performance, notably in the VCT and at the Champions 2022 event in Istanbul, Turkey. LOUD continued their success in 2023 during the LOCK//IN São Paulo tournament, finishing as runners-up to Fnatic. FURIA, on the other hand, struggled to replicate their 2021 success, eventually finishing fifth in the VCT after joining the franchise system in 2023.
The LOUD team experienced a similar situation in their 2022 off-season when two championship players, Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi and Bryan “pANcada” Luna, departed for Sentinels. LOUD signed Cauan “cauanzin” Pereira and Arthur “tuyz” Vieira, two promising players who helped the team maintain its strong regional and international standing.
With the departure of aspas and his reported move to Leviatán, LOUD’s core lineup will now need to integrate qck. He will have some time to acclimate to his new teammates, but come February 2024, he will need to meet the high expectations of LOUD, one of the top teams in the VCT Americas.