Gentle Mates has released its entire active VALORANT roster and both coaches, the French organization confirmed in a farewell post on X on Oct. 25. The departures leave the club without players or coaches as it prepares to enter the 2027 VCT partner program.
who left and when
The club thanked five players by handle: marteen, starxo, Minny, Proxh and H1ber. Gentle Mates also announced the exits of head coach Jiri “KUNDIKUNDI” Honkala and assistant coach Erim “Mavera” Sasal.
“Merci pour tout et bonne continuation 🩷 @minnyfn @starxo5 @imthemarteen @H1berr @proxhh” — Gentle Mates on X
season context and roster changes through 2026
The move closes a turbulent year for the Mates. After finishing last in EMEA in 2025, the organization rebuilt much of its roster for 2026, retaining Patrik “Minny” Hušek and adding Patryk “starxo” Kopczynski, Martin “marteen” Pátek, Taranvir “bipo” Singh and Conner “GLYPH” Garcia. That group finished second at EMEA Kickoff and qualified for Masters Santiago, where the team went 2-2 and reached the top eight.
Results declined after the midseason. Gentle Mates posted 2-3 records in Stage 1 and Stage 2 group play. Head coach Pavle “pakko” Kostic was replaced after Stage 1, with KUNDIKUNDI promoted from assistant. Conner “GLYPH” Garcia left following a 0-2 exit in the Stage 1 playoffs and was later replaced by Yusuf “Proxh” Emre Tunc. Joona “H1ber” Parviainen replaced bipo before the regional play-ins, where Eintracht Frankfurt eliminated Gentle Mates.
what the club says and next steps
- Gentle Mates posted a short farewell message on X thanking the departing players and coaches.
- The organization will enter 2027 as a VCT partner team with a “blank sheet,” meaning it has no active roster or coaching staff confirmed.
- The exits follow reporting that KUNDIKUNDI was seeking a new team and that several players had been allowed to explore options or had been released earlier in October.
Gentle Mates did not publish a timetable for announcing replacements. The club is now positioned to rebuild its lineup and staff before the VCT partner season begins in 2027.
