Mandatory drops a VCT‑star roster for 2027, eyeing a comeback to the top

Mandatory’s 2027 lineup features Duelist MiniBoo, flex Veqaj, Sentinel runneR, Controller Kicks, and IGL starxo.
Head coach Kevin “Larsson” Bernard and assistant Arnaud “SKAZZ” Trocars reunite with several players from their past squads.

By GLHF.net News DeskPublished 00:21 UTC, 2 November 2026

A dream team takes shape

He is paired with Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn in a versatile flex slot, while Emil “runneR” Trajkovski switches from his former Duelist duties to anchor the back‑line as Sentinel. Controller Kimmie “Kicks” Laasner, a former Initiator who helped Team Liquid reach Champions Shanghai, rounds out the firepower, and Patryk “starxo” Kopczynski returns to Europe as the in‑game leader after guiding Gentle Mates to the VCT playoffs.

Coaches re‑unite with their protégés

The coaching bench will be headed by Kevin “Larsson” Bernard, with Arnaud “SKAZZ” Trocars as his assistant. Both have a history with several of the new recruits, having guided Joblife’s 2026 roster that featured runneR, WanZeru, and Sevire.

From Ascension hopes to Play‑In dreams

Mandatory entered the Valorant scene in 2022 and has already earned two Ascension qualifications. Yet the organization fell short of a Play‑In spot during EMEA Stage 3 and bowed out in the EMEA LCQ semifinals. The club’s alumni list reads like a French Valorant hall of fame—Kada, Enzo, CyvOph, nataNk, and sh1n—all of whom once wore the Mandatory badge.

The players’ pedigrees

MiniBoo spent two seasons with Team Heretics (Europe Rank 9) before moving to Team Liquid (Europe Rank 7) last year. Veqaj debuted on the Tier‑1 stage in 2025 with Gentle Mates (Europe Rank 12) and started 2026 with FNATIC (Europe Rank 16) before a health‑related roster move. runneR’s résumé includes a VCT stint with Team Vitality (Europe Rank 1) and a season at GIANTX (Europe Rank 35). Kicks split 2026 between Team Liquid Academy (Europe Rank 13) and the main Team Liquid roster, earning a Champions Shanghai appearance as a Controller.

starxo, the most recognizable name, spent the 2026 season as Gentle Mates’ IGL after a previous world‑championship run with Acend.

The regional race heats up

Mandatory’s announcement came just after Aurora Gaming revealed its own roster, making EMEA the quickest VCT region to field non‑partnered lineups.

Sources: VLR.gg

This article was written automatically from the reports credited below and GLHF's match data.