[APAC] Who Will RNTX's New Third Be?
- BSEN
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
A Mid Showing in Berlin
The pride of SESA, Revenant XSpark, qualified through the Road to Brawl Cup circuit in order to be the South East Asian representatives at Brawl Cup, dominanting their competition once more on the road to Berlin. But with two new teammates in the mix, RNTX was rated as one of the lowest teams in Berlin despite a Cinderella run in 2025's World Finals that placed RNTX amongst the top 4 teams in the world. Combined with their late arrival in Berlin, hopes were not particularly high for Sergeant and co to make another deep run.
It is safe to say that the majority of the community expected RNTX to be heavy underdogs in this group as shown by the Eternal vs RNTX prediction rate heavily favouring the South American side of Caue, Jubileu and Mohtep. Despite this skewed prediction, RNTX qualified to playoffs as the second seed of Group C, knocking out Eternal in the process despite an underwhelming showing against reigning World Champions Crazy Raccoon.
For day three, RNTX was set to play the in-form Tribe Gaming. TRB finished first in what many people considered the group of death, beating FUT 3-2 against all odds and defeating Toxic Lotus 3-2 as well. Many were once again heralding Sergeant as one of the best players in the world, arguing that he carried his team through the group stage. RNTX started their match with a convincing game win in Gem Grab highlighting the Singaporean rookie Super Walk (hereafter referred to as "Walk") with a decisive performance that brought hope the team wasn't a solo carry mission.
However, the following two games showed the lack of practice that RNTX had. Careless mistakes from RNTX led to Tribe to gain momentum which ultimately led to a 1-3 loss for the Wolven Spark. The result was underwhelming for Sergeant, who prior to the start of the match, had claimed that his team was "more ready than ever." This result wasn't the worst we've seen from SESA as a region, but certainty disappointing compared to the team's top 4 finish in Stockholm.
Changes Abound
In the post-match interview conducted by BSEN, Sergeant was asked about the future of the team heading into the Summer Split, and the conversation took a drastic turn:
Interviewer: Do you think that loss influences how you will play in the second split?
Sergeant: Yeah, we're going to make some changes to the roster because I feel like we don't gel well. I feel like we should not be losing this. We have three good drafts, but we do not play to the best of our ability.
The Indian superstar and team captain had some bold words about the team's future ahead of Challengers, lighting a fire in community discourse over possible changes for RNTX. Based on performance alone, many have suggested that the "change" implied by the interview is a replacement for Hiroshii, who joined the roster this year after playing for KDS Esports in 2025. This change is seemingly confirmed based on trials being conducted across recent scrims and Matcherino events in which the Malaysian native is notably absent.
Last year's boundary breaking roster had a clearly established set of roles for the team to play:
Sergeant being the "carry" on high-skill and high-impact Brawlers
X9Jay playing the precision role of assassins and sharpshooters
Response anchoring the team as a flexible support or DPS player.
RNTX seems to have been able to find a successor in Jay with the upcoming rookie player Walk, who showed flashes of promise in his first LAN event. Hiroshii, who the community has pinpointed as the weak link of the three, will likely need to be filled by another flexible role player that can match the 2020 World Champion's impact on and off the server.
So, WHO Can RNTX Get?
RNTX will be looking for a player that can solidify the core that they need. With recent updates to the SEA and SAS regional restrictions for Challengers, the team will have a little more flexibility on who to pick up for the rest of the year.
As their coach in Berlin, there may be a possibility for Response to return to the competitive scene for the rest of the 2026 season. The Singaporean World Champion represented RNTX at the 2026 Brawl Cup in May, which could open the door to possible involvement as a player once more. X9Jay could also potentially return to the roster, but it would definitely be tricky given the challenges posed by his current leave on military service.
Replacing one former KDS player with another is also an option for RNTX - Prime and Vex could be called up to join the ranks of RNTX. Due to the mandatory army years enforced by Singapore, the possibility of Prime seems less likely despite his history with the team from their iconic 2023 World Finals run.
Lastly, and arguably the most popular option with the community, Terry. After his release from NOVO Esports recently after a short stint in EMEA, the Korean star's return to APAC opens up many doors for one of the breakouts of 2025. While previousily unlikely, the updated Challengers rulebook allows either SEA or SAS to compete with 2/3 players from countries in EITHER subregion, making the Indian-Korean-Singaporean roster legal for either circuit. Insider rumors confirm that this is a very likely option at this time, but as always, nothing is final until announced.
With the registration deadline rapidly approaching, we'll find out what RNTX's new member has in store for us soon - but only time will tell if they can propel the team to new heights after their almost untoppable 2025 performance.