NRG have completed the signing of Michael “Grim” Wince from Passion UA. The move marks an end to the American rifler’s four-plus year tenure with the Passion UA core, led by Ioannis “JT” Theodosiou. The move follows Passion UA’s announcement of Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold as their latest rifler signing.
Grim parts ways with Passion UA
Passion UA’s recent roster overhaul featuring Santino “try” Rigal and Senzu was a huge move for the Ukrainian organization as it attempts to level up into a consistent tier-one force. But Senzu’s addition left the team’s riflers, Grim and Nicholas “nicx” Lee, in the lurch. Initially, no decision was announced by the organization.
However, Dust2.us reported that NRG were reportedly in talks to sign Grim. The American rifler had spent over four years with JT and Tiaan “Tc” Coertzen, with the squad’s most successful period featuring North American legend Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski on the roster. Since EliGE’s jump to FaZe, however, the team struggled to sustain its playoff runs, with the Budapest Major loss at the hands of FaZe being a notable failure.
Across the last 12 months, Grim averaged a solid 1.14 HLTV rating, making him a no-brainer signing for any North American roster.
Grim partners up with nitr0 and oSee on NRG
Grim’s return to North America is a boon for fans of the region. After all, the American was one of the country’s top prospects before joining Team Liquid in 2020. His 64-kill OT game with Triumph against MIBR has remained in the NA zeitgeist of the early 2020s.
At NRG, the player will join two fellow former Liquid players in Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella and Joshua “oSee” Ohm. While Grim’s tenure never overlapped with either of the players, the three collectively represent some of North America’s best players in their respective roles.
Particularly important for Grim’s success will be his chemistry with team captain nitr0. The NA legend has led NRG to No. 1 in the North American VRS rankings, comfortably outclassing teams like M80.
NRG haven’t announced who Grim will replace on the roster, but Jeorge “Jeorge” Endicott is currently playing with Team Voca. Voca’s coach, Kory “SEMPHIS” Friesen, stated that the team is “just finalizing a few details,” and “an official announcement is coming soon.” Grim will kick off his NRG debut with a match against Heroic at ESL Pro League Season 23.
