MAD Lions Sign Bjor and Blackheart for NA Challengers Split 2

MAD Lions Sign Bjor and Blackheart for NA Challengers Split 2

Kaustavmani Choudhury

12 Apr, 2025, 08:27

|

Last updated: 12 Apr, 2025, 08:42

Just hours before their match against Moist Moguls, MAD Lions have confirmed the signing of Joseph “Bjor” Bjorklund and  Hasan “BlackHeart” Hammad. MAD Lions have confirmed this signing on the 18th of April, just a few hours before their mathcup against Moist Moguls. This announcement comes more than a week after the departure of “ZexRow” and “drone”.

The First Split:

MAD Lions started the season on a high note, qualifying for the Split 1 tournament after a dominant run in the open qualifier. However, their performance dipped in the group stage as they bowed out with just one win and four losses. Shortly after, the team announced that they had decided to part ways with ZexRow and drone, two key players in the roster.

The Beef:

The departure of ZexRow and drone from the team caused controversy, with ZexRow taking to Twitter to express his disappointment regarding the situation. He blamed the team's IGL, Justin “Trick” Sears, for “taking over the roster” and changing it completely after the team qualified for the tournament in just two months. This accusation led to a back-and-forth exchange of tweets between ZexRow and Trick.

The Signing:

According to a report from jounralist George Geddes, the addition of Bjor and Blackheart to the team will bring fresh talent to MAD Lions. Bjor, a 22-year-old prospect from the NA scene, has previously played for teams such as BBG and Immortals. Meanwhile, Blackheart is known for his time as a substitute for Cloud9.

MAD Lions' decision to finalize its roster with the addition of Bjor and Blackheart brings hope for a comeback in the competitive VALORANT scene. The team will have the opportunity to showcase its new talent in upcoming tournaments, and fans will be eager to see how they perform.

MAD Lions is not the only esports organization that has made changes to its VALORANT roster recently. Other teams, such as Sentinels and Fnatic, have also made changes to their rosters in an effort to improve their performance and stay competitive in the scene.

The Future and Beyond:

Esports continues to grow in popularity, with many fans tuning in to watch tournaments and matches featuring their favorite teams and players. VALORANT, a popular first-person shooter game developed by Riot Games, has become a popular title in the esports scene, with many professional teams and players competing at a high level.

In conclusion, MAD Lions' decision to sign Bjor and Blackheart to replace ZexRow and drone in its VALORANT roster brings fresh talent to the team and the potential for a comeback in the competitive scene. It will be interesting to see how the team performs in upcoming tournaments and how the new players will contribute to the team's success.

Latest news

Esports World Cup 2026 Unveils Saudia Partnership and Custom-Branded Aircraft

Esports World Cup 2026 Unveils Saudia Partnership and Custom-Branded Aircraft

The Esports Federation has named Saudia, the national air carrier of Saudi Arabia, as the official airline of the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC). Here's more.
21 Jul
Adarsh J. Kumar

Dplus KIA to be Sold Amid Financial Turbulence

Dplus KIA have announced the organization is in the middle of a sale process as the club has "reached a point where it needs even greater capability and support to grow to the next level." Growing operational costs in esports and recent reports surfacing regarding unpaid wages at Dplus all seem to indicate that the move will be in the best interest of everyone involved, including players and fans of the organization.
16 Jul
Martin Arévalo-Östberg

Team Vitality CEO Neo: "For Us to be a Global Leader Means Being a Contender at EWC"

Team Vitality remains one of the most influential and well-known esports organizations to date. The Paris-based org fields over 20 esports teams in various esports, though their immensely impressive results in Counter-Strike take center stage.  Being one of the organizations present at Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, we managed to speak with Fabien "Neo" Devide, Co-Founder and CEO of the Hive, just after an interview with Mike McCabe, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, at the opening press conference at EWC. Neo provided a ton of insight into the organization's participation at this year's edition of EWC in Paris. He expressed his desire for the org to perform to the highest standards, but also highlighted that rivalry is key to grow the ecosystem. Additionally, Neo gave strong opinions on the growth of mobile esports following last year's Vitality's takeover and merger with Indonesian side Bigetron, stressing the need for innovation and following ideas in the east, as much as the west.
15 Jul
Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

VALORANT Declares War on Boosting and Smurfing

Riot Games is done playing nice with rank manipulators. Starting with Patch 13.01, the studio is rolling out sharper detection tools built to catch boosting, win-trading, and stream sniping, and this time the punishments are landing on everyone involved, not just the person paying for the service.
14 Jul
Thales Costa

Mike McCabe COO of EWC Foundation: "The Home Is Always Going to Be Riyadh"

The Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC) had its grand launch on July 8, commemorating the official start of the event with an opening press conference at the Hotel de Ville in the heart of Paris. With many speakers kicking off the event, like the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, Ralf Reichert, Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris, and others, taking center stage.  Following an opening ceremony with multiple speakers, media were given the opportunity to chat with representatives of the Esports World Cup Foundation, game publishers, or even reps of prolific esports organizations such as Team Vitality. We managed to speak with Mike McCabe, the COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
14 Jul
Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

VALORANT Patch 13.01: Iso and Yoru Buffs, Outlaw Nerf and More

Riot Games has rolled out VALORANT Patch 13.01, and while it's not the biggest update of the year, it brings meaningful quality-of-life buffs, a notable nerf, and a major crackdown on competitive integrity. Here's everything you need to know.
14 Jul
Kaustavmani Choudhury

Riot Games Brings Local Flair to VCT EMEA With Mushkaa Collab

Riot Games has confirmed a fresh collaboration that's about to give one of VALORANT's most iconic anthems a distinctly local twist. Ahead of the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Finals in Barcelona, the publisher has teamed up with rising Spanish artist Mushkaa to remix Villain (Take the Shot), one of the game's biggest musical hits.
13 Jul
Thales Costa

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match