Ayaz ‘nAts’ Akhmetshin will likely miss out on Team Liquid’s first match at VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025 due to visa issues.
Until nAts has obtained a visa, Canadian player Erik ‘penny’ Penny will join the team as a stand-in.
VALORANT Masters Toronto will commence on June 7th in Toronto, Canada, featuring 12 international teams and a $1m (~£769,171) prize pool. Team Liquid qualified for the event after finishing in third place at VCT EMEA Stage 1.
The squad will face its first Swiss Stage opponent, Bilibili Gaming, during Master’s kick-off at 8 pm BST. Today, however, both nAts and Liquid’s social media announced that the in-game leader (IGL) is unlikely to make it to the initial match.
“Unfortunately due to visa issues, I will not be able to travel to the tournament with the team. There is still a chance that I will get visa but most likely not before the first match,” shared nAts on X (formerly Twitter).
“I hope I will be able to show up to the tournament. I will keep everyone updated. No matter if I will be there or not, Team Liquid will still need your support.”
nAts is the longest-standing member of Liquid’s roster after joining the organisation in November 2022. The former CS:GO athlete began his VALORANT career in 2020 and has since made a name for himself as a sharp-minded strategist and Cypher player.
The Russian player was also part of the iconic Gambit roster, which included the likes of Igor ‘Redgar’ Vlasov and two-time international trophy winner Timofey ‘Chronicle’ Khromov. Together with his teammates at Gambit, nAts dominated the nascent VALORANT esports scene, winning Masters Berlin 2021 and finishing second at VALORANT Champions in the same year.
Who Will Replace nAts at Masters Toronto?
Although nAts’ absence at Masters Toronto is likely to affect his team’s performance to some degree, Liquid has already found an interim stand-in with penny.
The young athlete has previously played for Version1 and G2 Esports. Since December 2023, penny has been competing in VALORANT’s tier-two circuit, Challengers North America, for esports organisation YFP.
On his socials, penny commented: “Excited to play in front of the home crowd and I will make sure to do my best for Liquid fans everywhere. Thankful for this opportunity!”
