Rafael ‘zakk’ Fernandes departs Imperial after three-and-a-half years

Rafael ‘zakk’ Fernandes has left Imperial, ending a three-and-a-half year spell as the club’s head coach. He announced his departure on X.

Zakk took charge in late 2022. During his tenure Imperial reached four Major events and finished fourth at the BLAST Spring Final 2023. The club reached a peak VRS ranking of 11th in April 2024 and fell to 81st after missing the Cologne Major in 2026.

In February 2026 Imperial signed Lucas ‘decenty’ Bacelar and Guilherme ‘levi’ Gustavo in an effort to improve results. The new additions did not reverse the team’s drop in standings.

Imperial’s active lineup currently lists Marcelo ‘chelo’ Cespedes, Vinicius ‘VINI’ Figueiredo, Lucas ‘decenty’ Bacelar, Kaiky ‘noway’ Santos and Guilherme ‘levi’ Gustavo. Felipe ‘skullz’ Medeiros has been moved to a benched role.

Reflecting on his time at the club, zakk wrote on X: “It was a very important stage in my career, marked by many lessons, challenges, and special moments.” He added a candid note urging younger players to learn from the mistakes he made during an earlier stint with Immortals.

Imperial has not named a replacement coach.