Half an hour after announcing the benching of Rafael "⁠arrozdoce⁠" Wing, SAW officially confirmed the signing of a new player — André "⁠Ag1l⁠" Gil, who was registered as a substitute for the upcoming RMR in Shanghai. This came as a surprise to fans, as the team is in the midst of preparations for important tournaments.

The decision to move arrozdoce to the bench was unexpected, considering SAW is preparing to compete in the ESL Challenger Katowice in two weeks and the RMR in Shanghai, which are crucial for the team. The organization explained this as a move towards long-term development, noting that the player himself expressed a desire to leave the team by the end of the year.

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Background of arrozdoce's departure

Rafael "⁠arrozdoce⁠" Wing joined SAW in April 2023, reuniting with former teammates from FTW — Michel "⁠ewjerkz⁠" Pinto and João "⁠story⁠" Vieira. In this lineup, the team achieved historic success, becoming the first Portuguese team to qualify for a Major. Arrozdoce contributed significantly to SAW's successes throughout the year, including at the BLAST Premier Spring Final, where he was named the MVP of the tournament, and at IEM Cologne, where SAW reached the semifinals, defeating teams like G2, The MongolZ, and FaZe.

The last tournament for arrozdoce with SAW was the ESL Challenger Atlanta, where the team lost to BIG in the semifinals. SAW also faced difficulties in the group stage, losing to FlyQuest and nearly being eliminated by BetBoom, but managed to secure victory in the decisive match.

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Details of the substitution

It is currently known that Ag1l, a player from Rhyno, will serve as a temporary replacement for arrozdoce at the RMR in Shanghai. However, his participation in the ESL Challenger Katowice, scheduled for October 25-27, remains uncertain. Meanwhile, arrozdoce has signed with ULTI Agency and has started looking for a new team, but due to the current state of many lineups, his return to the professional scene might not occur until 2025.

The new SAW roster is as follows:

• Christopher "⁠MUTiRiS⁠" Fernandes
• Ricardo "⁠roman⁠" Oliveira
• João "⁠story⁠" Vieira
• Michel "⁠ewjerkz⁠" Pinto
• André "⁠Ag1l⁠" Gil
  
  
• Danny "⁠BERRY⁠" Krüger (coach)
• Rafael "⁠arrozdoce⁠" Wing (benched)