hoody and al0rante Join Joblife: Inside the Full 5-Man Valorant Roster Targeting VCT EMEA 2027
French esports organization Joblife, founded by Tomy "JL Tomy", has finalized the last two pieces of its starting five in Valorant for the 2027 VCT season. Fresh off a landmark 2026 campaign that saw the club shake up the top European hierarchy during the Stage 2 Play-Ins, Joblife has officially retained Finnish veteran Aaro "hoody" Peltokangas as its In-Game Leader (IGL) while signing German specialist Felix "al0rante" Brandl in the Sentinel role.
A Pan-European Starting Five Anchored by hoody and al0rante
After stepping in during the offseason to lead the squad through the Project Blender tournament, Aaro "hoody" Peltokangas has committed to Joblife for the full 2027 competitive cycle. A seasoned veteran of the European circuit who competed for G2 Esports in 2022 before spending the 2023 and 2024 partnered VCT EMEA seasons under the Giants Gaming and GIANTX banners, the Finnish player takes over both Initiator duties and primary shotcalling as IGL.
To lock down defensive sites, Joblife has brought in 24-year-old German player Felix "al0rante" Brandl. Renowned for his high-impact site anchoring on Cypher, Viper, and Omen, al0rante joins after a strong 2026 stint with PCIFIC Esports and two years as a cornerstone of FOKUS in the DACH Challengers league. Together, they join Polish standout Miłosz "westside" Duda, who arrived from GIANTX earlier in October after finishing runner-up at VCT EMEA Stage 2 2025 and reaching the top eight at Valorant Champions 2025.
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Rounding out the five-man lineup are British flex controller Ethan "Sevire" Starke and explosive Czech duelist Tomáš "WanZeru" Peroutka, both officially locked in on October 27 following Joblife's offseason trials at Project Blender (where Emil "runneR" Trajkovski and Dom "soulcas" Sulcas also featured). Serbian head coach Pavle "pakko" Kostić leads the coaching staff, reuniting with his former Diamant Esports player westside as Joblife gears up for the 2027 circuit.
| Player / Staff | Nationality | Valorant Role | Notable Previous Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaro "hoody" Peltokangas | Finland | In-Game Leader (IGL) / Initiator | GIANTX / G2 Esports / FOKUS |
| Felix "al0rante" Brandl | Germany | Sentinel (Cypher, Viper) | PCIFIC Esports / FOKUS / MOUZ |
| Miłosz "westside" Duda | Poland | Flex / Sentinel | GIANTX / Diamant Esports |
| Ethan "Sevire" Starke | United Kingdom | Flex / Controller | Joblife (Project Blender) |
| Tomáš "WanZeru" Peroutka | Czech Republic | Duelist (Neon, Raze, Waylay) | Joblife (Project Blender) |
| Pavle "pakko" Kostić | Serbia | Head Coach | Diamant Esports / Joblife |
From Shocking Fnatic to the VCT EMEA Kickoff Qualifier Playoffs
Joblife's aggressive offseason rebuild builds directly on the momentum of its historic 2026 run. After capturing the VALORANT Challengers France: Revolution Stage 1 trophy and fighting through the lower bracket of the EMEA Challengers playoffs, the French club earned a spot in the VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins. On August 14, 2026, Joblife's previous lineup of doma, UNFAKE, kamyk, chiwa, and runneR delivered one of the biggest upsets in EMEA history by sweeping partnered powerhouse Fnatic 2-0 (13-11 on Lotus, 13-8 on Breeze) to knock them out of Stage 2 playoff and Champions contention.
Under Riot Games' revamped VCT 2027 qualification structure, non-partnered teams now have a direct tournament pathway into the top-tier Kickoff event alongside the eight partnered EMEA organizations. While newly formed rosters like Aurora Gaming's star-studded lineup led by Derke and Boo must battle through the Open Qualifiers, Joblife's 2026 results earned the club a direct invite to the VCT EMEA Europe Qualifier Playoffs.
Running from November 26 to December 5, 2026, the 16-team playoff bracket pits directly invited clubs (including Joblife, UCAM Esports, and Eintracht Frankfurt) against open qualifier survivors. Teams that punch their ticket to the main VCT EMEA Kickoff 2027 tournament will not only face Europe's partnered elite on stage, but also secure direct financial stipends from Riot Games to back their competitive operations in one of the premier titles featured in our guide to the best competitive multiplayer games to play with friends.
My Take
Locking in westside, hoody as IGL, and al0rante next to Sevire and WanZeru proves that JL Tomy's organization is not treating its 2026 Stage 2 Play-Ins appearance as a one-off miracle. After eliminating Fnatic in August, it would have been easy for Joblife to settle for a budget Challengers rebuild. Instead, coach pakko now has a battle-tested Tier 1 caller in hoody and two rock-solid site anchors in westside and al0rante. With a direct seed into the November 26 Europe Qualifier Playoffs already in hand, this five-man unit has the firepower and tactical discipline to crash the VCT EMEA Kickoff party in 2027.
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles 'Grimtag' Ronchain is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
