After virtually three years with British group Fnatic, Valorant star Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov has determined to maneuver on from the crew and be part of Vitality.
Chronicle will hyperlink again up with former Fnatic teammate Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev on his new crew, and can now be checked out as a focus of their roster because the French group makes an attempt to turn out to be a powerhouse in Valorant like they’ve in different esports.
That stated, Vitality are removed from a powerhouse presently, having certified for just one VCT Masters occasion in 2025. Chronicle could also be a blockbuster signing that would see them persistently attain these occasions, however provided that he’s leaving Fnatic, a crew persistently inserting on the very high, it’s laborious to take 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 probably the most persistently aggressive crew on this planet. They could not have at all times been the most effective crew — 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 obtained an enormous increase prior to now 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 wiser resolution to stay by the crew, quite than to attempt his luck with a crew 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 greatest 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 recreation’s historical past, this additionally turns into a query of legacy. Valorant’s historical past should still be brief, however we’re quick approaching the purpose the place all that issues can be in the event you managed to raise the large one or not, and it’s simple that becoming a member of Vitality is a step backwards in that respect.
In fact, Chronicle might be step one in a rebuild as Vitality seems 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 presently 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 crew, but it surely’s a lot additional away, and that might be one thing that quickly turns into painfully clear.
