“Don't come near us, or you'll pay dearly.”
Those were Life's words about his team; Asia's newest superstars in the making. And they've made it to Champions on their first go.
EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming
China
Rank #1
S1Mon
Hsien Meng-Hsun (谢孟勋)
ZmjjKK
Zheng Yongkang (郑永康)
nobody
Wang Senxu (王森旭)
CHICHOO
Wan Shunzhi (万顺治)
Smoggy
Zhang Zhao (张钊)
's rise to international acclaim is the byproduct of two years of work, since their inception in 2020. The team's preparation and adaptation to meta changes over time has culminated into giving the world its first look at China's performance on the international stage. Their stellar performance in East Asia has put the 15 other Champions teams on notice, now the Chinese squad is tasked with another goal: show no mercy in Champions.
“We want to show the rest of the teams around the world through LCQ that there are greatly skilled teams in China as well.”, said Life.
The team's huddle ends right outside of headquarters. (Photo by EDward Gaming/Twitter)
The rumor of Chinese VALORANT's strengths began with the words of one. An article with ONE Esports last year featuring
Vision Strikers
Vision Strikers
Inactive
stax
Kim Gu-taek (김구택)
Rb
Goo Sang-min (구상민)
Zest
Kim Ki-seok (김기석)
BuZz
Yu Byeong-cheol (유병철)
MaKo
Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관)
'
Lakia
warned the rest of the world about what China was like in Valorant from their personal scrim experiences.
“Whoever plays Chinese teams, you guys are going to be in for a huge surprise,” Lakia said. “Anyone who plays against them will curse at them because of how aggressive they are. It is unimaginable.”
Lakia 's precaution to the rest of the world was clear: the focus on aggression and aim duels by Chinese teams was not something to be easily dismissed. But despite the praise surrounding the gameplay of some of its teams, China still had no official gateway into the VCT at the time.
For the time being,
EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming
China
Rank #1
S1Mon
Hsien Meng-Hsun (谢孟勋)
ZmjjKK
Zheng Yongkang (郑永康)
nobody
Wang Senxu (王森旭)
CHICHOO
Wan Shunzhi (万顺治)
Smoggy
Zhang Zhao (张钊)
were a stark contrast from the team that would later go on to dominate the LCQ. Defeats in multiple grand finals hindered EDG from being considered the top team in China. Three months after the grand finals of the 2021 FGC Invitational, the organization brought in their newest members
nobody
and
CHICHOO
in place of
York
and
Smoggy
heading into the 2022 FGC circuit, a pathway into the VCT.
The full EDG squad, all in joy. (Photo by EDward Gaming/Twitter)
Soon to follow was their newest 18-year-old star
ZmjjKK
, who joined EDG in early March to take
NaThanD
's place, completing their roster revamp. Although the team lost in the grand finals of FGC Act 1 to
Weibo Gaming
Weibo Gaming
China
Rank #14
TryTryz
Lu Shiwei (卢世炜)
Star1og
Jun Chao Liang (梁竣超)
DRK
R1ckLeexD
Li Xu (李旭)
, they soon went on to claim victory in the Spring Gauntlet and FGC acts two and three.
Zmjjkk turns 16 this upcoming March 3, 2 more weeks and it's over for APAC
As August rolled around, so did the East Asia LCQ. Up until that moment, Chinese teams were locked to only facing regional competition in third-party tournaments. The event featured some of the best teams from South Korea, Japan, and China, making this event their first time competing in the VCT. Uncertainty presented itself in the minds of many when it came to how the two Chinese representatives would fare when pitted against Japan and South Korea's top teams. Life had some fiery words in response to that sentiment when interviewed by Valorant Korea.
“I don't think there's any rivals among the competing [LCQ] teams,”* Life said. *“When I play in scrims or watch their matches, I feel we play better than them.”
In hindsight however, EDG proved all their doubters wrong by the end of the LCQ. The team blitzed through the qualifier, with aces
ZmjjKK
and
nobody
leading the charge in the majority of maps. Top Japanese and South Korean teams such as
Incheon On Sla2ers
Incheon On Sla2ers
Korea
Rank #29
VaNish
XirZz
,
REJECT
REJECT
Japan
Rank #18
muto
BNN
take
BRIAN
IceBear
, and
NORTHEPTION
NORTHEPTION
Japan
Rank #20
, the latter being Japan's sole representative at Copenhagen, were all unable to slow down EDG's pair of superstars. EDG's ability to prevent their opposition to reach double-digits in at least one map per series was a key part for their success, and they fought tooth and nail to emerge victorious in every match they played against.
No team could take a map off them despite their best efforts. EDG finished off their run with a flawless 9-0 record in maps played, with some elite individual stats to accompany their title.
ZmjjKk proved to be a top player throughout the event. In other stats, his teammates put up nearly as high numbers in other fields he lacked in.
Four out of the top 10 players in pure ACS during the LCQ were from EDward Gaming alone. In the majority of statlines, ZmjjKK didn't trail too far from the top, most notably in ACS, KPR, and FKPR.
“The game style our team is pursuing is not the intricate teamplay like Korea's
DRX
DRX
Korea
Rank #4
Flashback
Cho Min-hyuk (조민혁)
MaKo
Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관)
Athan
Na Ha-jun (나하준)
freeing
No Ha-jun (노하준)
HYUNMIN
Song Hyun-min (송현민)
, or the amazing micro-based play like EU or NA teams, we pursue a playstyle with both teamwork and micro combined.”, said Life, when asked about the team's playstyle.
The rocky stage has subsided for EDG following their run in the LCQ; they've finally gotten the chance to show that they can perform against the top teams. Now it's down to how much they can refine their play before they hit the global stage.
EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming
China
Rank #1
S1Mon
Hsien Meng-Hsun (谢孟勋)
ZmjjKK
Zheng Yongkang (郑永康)
nobody
Wang Senxu (王森旭)
CHICHOO
Wan Shunzhi (万顺治)
Smoggy
Zhang Zhao (张钊)
enter Istanbul as one of two qualified teams without international LAN experience Their playstyle is a culmination of the best in Asia, through two years of constant practice with the continent's top teams. A mix of sharp aim and aggression defines EDG, a style seen in other aspects of Chinese esports.
The team stood before EDG's collection of trophies across several esports, including the Worlds trophy. The Champions trophy might be their newest addition to the display. (Photo by EDward Gaming/Twitter)
The team carries the burden of giving China a legacy in another title. It's not an easy road ahead for the team either, with their Champions group featuring
Paper Rex
Paper Rex
Asia-Pacific
Rank #3
mindfreak
Aaron Leonhart
Jinggg
Wang Jing Jie
f0rsakeN
Jason Susanto
d4v41
Khalish Rusyaidee
something
Ilya Petrov
Team Liquid
Team Liquid
Europe
Rank #22
paTiTek
Patryk Fabrowski
kamyk
Maks Rychlewski
nAts
Ayaz Akhmetshin
Keiko
Georgio Sanassy
kamo
Kamil Frąckowiak
, and
LEVIATÁN
LEVIATÁN
Latin America South
Rank #1
Demon1
Max Mazanov
tex
Ian Botsch
kiNgg
Francisco Aravena
C0M
Corbin Lee
nataNk
Nathan Bocqueho
; all having advanced to the playoffs stage of previous international events. The addition of Pearl, replacing Split, also places a damper on EDG; the team was undefeated on Split in 2022.
A diamond in the rough now shines against the golden lights of Champions. It might just be their one chance competing on a stage of this caliber, and they don't plan on letting this opportunity pass.
Life had one key thing to say for his opponents in the LCQ. And it's a quote he hopes to keep the sentiment of as he now faces the teams in Champions.
“Just because you haven't faced us in a match yet doesn't mean you should look down on us.”
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