Recently, one of the top players from the previous world championship, Max "Demon1" Mazanov, who lifted the championship trophy and became a hot topic within the Valorant community, was benched by his new team, NRG. The team failed to qualify for Valorant Champions 2024 without his participation, meaning he won't even attend this year's world championship as a stand-in. In this article, we’ll delve into Demon1's success story, the possible reasons behind his benching, and the best ways for him to make a comeback.
Demon1's Success Story
Max "Demon1" Mazanov's rise in Valorant is nothing short of phenomenal—an achievement unlikely to be replicated anytime soon. In just one season, he went from being a tier-2 player to a world champion. He joined Evil Geniuses and began showing outstanding results, eventually claiming the highest prize in the game—the world championship trophy.
This all happened within a single season, as in 2022, Demon1 was playing for a team called sqn 2.0, participating in minor tournaments with small cash prizes, which were not part of the Riot Games ecosystem. However, Evil Geniuses noticed the young player and brought him on board, a decision that proved to be one of their best as the team went on to win the Valorant Champions 2023, with Demon1 being named the tournament’s best player.
However, the incredible success of Evil Geniuses quickly turned into a tragedy. Due to financial difficulties, the organization couldn’t retain its championship roster, and four out of the five players, despite their tremendous success, decided to leave and join other North American teams. Demon1, along with Ethan, joined NRG.
A New Chapter with NRG
Before the season began, the newly formed NRG roster looked formidable on paper, leading to high expectations for them to at least qualify for one of the two Masters tournaments. However, the fierce competition in the North American region spared no one, and NRG completely failed this season. Before the VALORANT Champions Tour 2024: Americas Stage 2, the team decided to make roster changes, parting ways with Jimmy "Marved" Nguyen, and Max "Demon1" Mazanov was benched, where he remains to this day.
Why Was Demon1 Benched?
Neither the player nor the organization has provided official reasons for Demon1 being benched, but it’s speculated that his performance in the new team wasn’t as strong as expected.
However, the blame doesn’t solely lie with the player. After joining NRG, Demon1 was forced to play different agents and take on a different role, with little time to adapt. As a result, he didn’t get the chance to show his full potential, and he was benched before the season even ended. This, incidentally, did not help the team improve their results, as NRG missed out on all international tournaments this season, including Valorant Champions 2024. For more details on the reasons, we covered it in another article.
Best Paths for Demon1 to Return to the Scene
Return to NRG's Active Roster
The best option for Demon1, whether he likes it or not, is to return to NRG's active roster. After such a rapid rise to world champion in 2023 and a sharp decline, missing all international tournaments in 2024, and ultimately being benched, his reputation has taken a hit. As a result, interest in him from other teams has significantly diminished compared to before. Almost every North American team currently looks very strong, making it unlikely that any of them will make significant roster changes before the next season.
The likelihood of returning to NRG's active roster is high, as the organization didn’t part ways with the player but rather moved him to the bench, indicating they still have plans for him. Recently, after the team’s last tournament of 2024, NRG parted ways with two players, leaving open spots in the roster, although someone will need to switch roles.
The advantage of returning to NRG is that Demon1 will have sufficient game time, giving him the chance to prove that the 2024 season was an anomaly and that he can still dominate on the server.
Returning to His Roots
Demon1’s former team, Evil Geniuses, is not in the best shape. After losing four of the five players who won Valorant Champions 2023, the organization assembled a capable roster, but it’s not as strong as the previous one. Like NRG, Evil Geniuses missed out on all international tournaments this season.
Returning to Evil Geniuses could be beneficial for both sides. Christine "potter" Chi, the team’s head coach, would likely welcome his return and have a strong player in her arsenal. Under her guidance, Max "Demon1" Mazanov could once again unlock his full potential, recalling past successes.
However, the likelihood of this happening is very low for several reasons. Evil Geniuses is facing significant financial difficulties, and their presence in the VCT league is likely forced, as Riot Games reportedly forbade them from selling their slot. However, these are just rumors and speculations within the community without official confirmation. Fans of the player might also not understand such a move, as he has previously spoken negatively about the organization and was glad to leave, calling it a "prison."
A New Chapter
Another team in the North American region where Max "Demon1" Mazanov could fit is Cloud9. He could replace Francis “OXY” Hoang, who didn’t perform well this season and plays a similar role to Demon1. This could benefit both parties in the long run: Demon1 could regain his top form, and Cloud9 could improve their results in the next season.
A Bold Move
The EMEA region is currently going through tough times. Many teams, despite significant roster changes, failed to achieve the desired results in 2024, disappointing both their fans and players. Therefore, there’s a high probability that many of them will make roster changes in Valorant. This could create an opportunity for Demon1 to join one of them, but the chances of this happening are as slim as his return to Evil Geniuses. Given the tight season schedule, Demon1 would have to not only change his country of residence but also his continent, with no guarantee that it would pay off in the future.
What is Demon1 Doing Now?
For a professional player benched in Valorant, there aren’t many options, but Max "Demon1" Mazanov has chosen the best one. He frequently streams on his personal Twitch channel, where he plays ranked matches, thereby maintaining his game form and growing his media presence. This will pay off in the future with more and better offers from teams.
Conclusion
Returning to the professional esports scene could be difficult for Demon1 if he doesn’t find support from one of the organizations. Just recently, he was lifting the world champion’s trophy, and within half a season, he became a bench player for one of the least successful teams in the North American region.
The road ahead for him will be challenging, filled with obstacles. He will need to prove on his own that being benched was a mistake and that he deserves to play for one of the best teams and lift the Valorant Champions trophy again, this time with a different team.
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