EDG and FPX look to proudly represent China at VCT LOCK//IN

For the first time in VALORANT history, two Chinese teams will compete internationally in a major international tournament. EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix will represent their region at VCT 2023 LOCK//IN.

EDG ready to take revenge for VALORANT Champions 2022

Last year, EDward Gaming became the first Chinese VALORANT team to compete against international opponents at an international event. Despite failing to get a single win in groups, the organization put its name out there, laying the groundwork for what's to come. This year, EDG return with the same roster, except for one small change.

Bo "Abo" Hao Han and Hao "Haodong" Dong Guo are two of the first to arrive at the EDG roster. The duo has been playing under the EDG banner for over two years. However, Abo will continue to be the sixth man on the roster. We might not see him compete in the Sao Paulo LOCK//IN.

Shun "CHICHOO" Zhi Wan and Wang "nobody" Senxu had important contributions to the team last year, and they will continue to do so at VCT 2023 LOCK//IN. CHICHOO’s professional career started under EDG’s roof a while ago, and the talented player continues to play his role at a respectable level.

Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao was the substitute player on EDG’s lineup at VALORANT Champions 2022. Smoggy also had a chance to show his capabilities against Paper Rex at Champions and grabbed 50 kills over the course of three maps. He then fully replaced Dong “Life” Hao Qu and showed spectacular performances at off-season tournaments. He played Fade and Jett in most matches and maintained a 1.13 rating. It is not bad, but EDG’s arsenal doesn’t end there. The real weapon is Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang, without a single doubt. The Chinese player currently holds an incredible 1.32 rating and a 1.35 K/D. Looking at the infographic at the end of this article, you will understand what we mean.

A different FunPlus Phoenix

During the off-season, FPX promoted their Chinese team ZHUQU to the main roster as covered After missing their chance of competing in the VCT International Leagues, FunPlus Phoenix turned their attention to the Chinese VALORANT ecosystem, which shows promise in the VALORANT ecosystem.

The FPX roster consists of Zhang "AAAAY" Yang, Zhang "BerLIN" Bolin, Tang "TZH" Zhe Hao, He "YuChEn" Cai, Huang "Yuicaw" Yung-chieh, and Wang "OMEGA" Sicheng. Last year, ZHUQUE competed in FGC VALORANT Invitational 2022 tournaments just like every other Chinese team, but their best record was third seed until the Epilogue tournament. ZHUQUE had a great performance against EDG and took the throne from the most dominant team in the region.

ZHUQUE’s roster remained the same; now, they are the main team of FunPlus Phoenix. Yuicaw is their best-performing player, with a 1.11 rating throughout his career. He maintained a 1.09 rating last year for the team playing Chamber and Jett mostly. The roster showed a gleam of hope especially in the last quarter of 2022 and now they have tougher opponents to deal with.

We have seen EDG against international opponents but this roster lacks experience and it will be interesting to watch their performance against the other partnered teams of the VALORANT ecosystem.

Best players in each team

Yuicaw and ZmjjKK are the rating leaders on both sides. The statistics below show their performance over the course of the 2022 calendar year. You can see how dominant ZmjjKK was last year and the fans expect to see more of him at VCT 2023 LOCK//IN.

Don’t forget to take a look at our VCT 2023 Hub page for more information about this year’s schedule, events, and more!