Rise replace Ksiaze and ShoukR with riku and Ange

Following a promising performance in the PULSE Series, Rise have officially signed the players that were on trial for the event, bringing in Adam "Ange" Milian and Chris "riku" Piasecki.

Ange and riku replace the departing Justin "Ksiaze" Goszczynski and Rahmin "ShoukR" Shoukoohi. While both players were part of the originally announced Rise lineup, Ksiaze has since joined Luminosity Gaming, while ShoukR was released from the organization several days ago.

Ange and riku both come from a background of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, playing in ESEA Premier, or the MTN Dew League. While neither achieved much success, Ange was part of the Rugratz roster earlier this year before deciding to dedicate his full time to VALORANT.

In VALORANT, Ange and riku have found a bit more success. Ange played with Team Underrated for quite a while, making a name for themselves in North America, while riku has been bouncing around rosters a bit more. Ange and riku both played together in the Pittsburgh Knights Gauntlet - Closed Qualifier on Big Frames, finishing third in their group and failing to qualify for the main event.

As mentioned, though, Ange and riku recently played with the full Rise roster in the PULSE Series. In the group stage, they were very impressive, going undefeated in a group featuring teams like Spacestation Gaming and eventual third place finishers beastcoast. But in the bracket stage, they had an unfortunate fall from grace. They took a 2-1 loss to eventual finalists Luminosity, with Ange top fragging, and then fell in a rather one-sided 2-0 against Morning Light to exit the bracket stage without winning a match. Throughout the event, Ange was typically playing Jett, though some Raze was thrown in, while riku exclusively played Omen.

While Rise’s bracket stage was less than ideal, their group stage performance was exceptional. If the additions of Ange and riku bring more of that quality to the table, Rise will no doubt be pleased with their new signings.

With these additions, Rise are:

Adam “Spirit” Wills Todd “anger” Williams Corey “ChurmZ” Koch Adam “Ange” Milan Chris “riku” Piasecki