HaZR, sliimey depart SemperFi for Ground Zero as off-season unravels

Top OCE squad SemperFi may be on the brink of implosion this off-season following the shock departure of Jared "HaZR" O'Bree and Kalan "sliimey" Lorenzo, with the pair now off to Ground Zero ahead of their DFRAG Open Series 5 opener on Wednesday.

Concerns over the future of the squad were raised following a June 6 announcement that SemperFi had stepped down from competing in DFRAG Open Series 5, citing "roster issues" and an inability to fill slots following the "departure of two members."

Those names have now been revealed as HaZR and sliimey, with the latter coming as a huge surprise given sliimey had just joined SemperFi a little over a month ago.

In the short time representing SemperFi, sliimey played at two events, one of which was the team's last shot at an Esports World Cup slot at ACL 2026 where he recorded a 1.06 rating over seven maps.

Even more puzzling, sliimey now returns to Ground Zero — the team he joined for two months prior to the SemperFi link. There, he played in just 17 maps, all of which were online.

HaZR had a more storied history with SemperFi, linking with the project last September following the collapse of the TALON organisation. He became a key piece of the puzzle for SemperFi, having a major hand in the team's dominant 2025 domestic season.

It's actually the second time HaZR will pull on the green-and-white for Ground Zero, playing as a stand-in for the organisation way back in 2018. Since then, HaZR has built a huge resume both at home and overseas, and his experience will be needed heading into a bumper end to 2026.

Sliimey takes the previously-unfilled spot on GZ, while HaZR will replace former VERTEX and Bad News Kangaroos teammate Jordan "pz" White who departed the organisation yesterday.

Ground Zero's roster is now:

• Tom "apocdud" Henry
• Jack "Omichella" McLoughlin
• Ethan "vision" Holst
• Jared "HaZR" O'Bree
• Kalan "sliimey" Lorenzo
• Tyler "tucks" Reilly (coach)

It's unclear at this time what the future holds for SemperFi. Much was invested by the team's players and its owner, Ben Savage. With the vital goal of attending a major missed, the core of SaVage, keen, and SHADIY will need to dig deep and find viable replacements if they want to hold onto their hard-earned VRS points.