Derke Joins Aurora Gaming as New VALORANT Roster Targets VCT EMEA 2027

Aurora Gaming has officially announced its first VALORANT roster, signing Finnish duelist Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev ahead of the 2027 competitive season. The Serbian esports organization revealed its five-player lineup on October 28, 2026, bringing together several experienced VCT EMEA competitors.

Derke joins Aurora after reaching the VALORANT Champions 2026 Grand Finals with Team Vitality. The roster also features former Team Liquid player Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko and former Team Heretics in-game leader Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius. Aurora will compete through the VCT EMEA open qualifiers after missing out on a partnership slot for 2027.

Derke's move follows his departure from Team Vitality on October 24, ending his two-year spell with the French organization.

The 2026 season was a strong one for the Finnish duelist. Vitality finished among the top four at Masters London and reached the VCT EMEA Stage 1 final. The team later advanced to the VALORANT Champions Shanghai Grand Finals, where it finished runner-up to LOUD.

Before joining Vitality, Derke established himself as one of Europe's most successful players during his time with Fnatic. He helped the organization win VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo and Masters Tokyo in 2023, securing two international titles in the same year.

His arrival gives Aurora a proven duelist with experience competing in major international finals. However, the organization will need to qualify for VCT EMEA Kickoff before Derke can return to the league with his new team.

Aurora confirmed that its new VALORANT lineup consists of Derke, trexx, Boo, Vitaliy "B1SK" Emelyanov, and Egor "chiwa" Stepanyuk. Trexx previously played alongside Derke at Team Vitality before returning to Team Liquid during the 2026 season. He helped Liquid reach the VCT EMEA Stage 2 final and compete at Champions Shanghai.

Boo arrives after spending several seasons with Team Heretics, where he served as in-game leader. He helped the organization reach the finals of Masters Shanghai and VALORANT Champions in 2024. Heretics also won the Esports World Cup in 2025.

The remaining two players bring experience from the regional Challengers circuit. B1SK previously represented UCAM Esports, while chiwa competed for Joblife.

Aurora CEO Adalyat Mamedov described the roster's formation as an unusually fast process. In the organization's official announcement, he explained that negotiations and contracts were completed within days, with the final signings taking place shortly before the qualifier registration deadline.

Mamedov also thanked Aurora's head of esports, Alexander Lemeshev, for helping complete the project. The signing marks Aurora Gaming's first entry into competitive VALORANT. The organization already operates teams in other esports titles, including Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2.

Aurora is not among the eight organizations selected for VCT EMEA partnership in 2027. Instead, its newly assembled roster will attempt to qualify through Riot Games' expanded competitive system.

VCT EMEA Kickoff 2027 will feature 12 teams. Eight places are reserved for partnered organizations, while four will be awarded through regional qualification. Europe receives two spots, with Türkiye and the Middle East and North Africa receiving one each.

The first European open qualifier is scheduled for November 5 to 8, followed by a second event from November 12 to 15.

The top four teams from each qualifier will advance to the European qualifier playoffs, scheduled for November 26 to December 5. Eight additional non-partnered teams will receive invitations based on their 2026 competitive results.

The two playoff finalists will secure places at VCT EMEA Kickoff. Teams that qualify will also receive $100,000 in financial support under Riot's new system for non-partnered organizations.

Aurora has not announced its first official match. Its immediate objective is to secure one of Europe's two available Kickoff places with the newly signed roster.