Nouns fe lose crucial piece

On March 19th, Tig "Rice" Simpson announced that she would be stepping down from Nouns fe's starting lineup roster due to real-life circumstances. The unfortunate timing comes as Nouns fe have started ESL Impact Season 5 on a strong footing, with Rice playing a leading role in a week one win over Wanted Goons Bandits and a close loss in week two against Shimmer.

In her place, former Totsugeki player Cass "tokkis" Dellinger is set to stand-in for the remainder of the season. Rice's departure from Nouns fe's ranks leaves Natalie "ashe" Betts and Riley "lunari" Luna as the sole remaining members of the original Category 5 roster that was signed by Nouns in November 2023.

Nouns fe's IGL, Jessica "jesscas" Ngo, told Dust2.us that the team plans on playing the remainder of the season with tokkis while also looking for a new fifth to join the team on a permanent basis. Despite coming in on short notice, tokkis played quite well in her debut with Nouns fe against COVEN, posting a 1.10 rating as the team won the series 2-0.

Unfortunately for Nouns fe, Rice's departure from the starting lineup isn't the only bad news to face the roster. jesscas also revealed to Dust2.us that she will be unable to play the final two weeks of ESL Impact Season 5, with the team set to field Russian player Olya "Knopk@" Horoshilova in her place. Knopk@ is a veteran name in the women's scene, having played in Europe since 2011. She moved to the United States in 2023 and has since played with the likes of Radiant Rebels and Cherry Bombs in the Impact scene.

Nouns fe's roster is currently:

• Natalie "ashe" Betts

• Riley "lunari" Luna

• Cynthia "katalyyst" Sheerajin

• Jessica "jesscas" Ngo

• Cass "tokkis" Dellinger (Stand-in)

• Tig "Rice" Simpson (Inactive)

Nouns fe next match in ESL Impact Season 5 NA will be against Karma on March 27th at 08:30PM. The team currently has a 2-1 record with wins over COVEN and Wanted Goons Bandits and a loss to Shimmer.