South Korean Player Lakia Joins Gen.G Esports VALORANT Roster
In 2021, a South Korean player made his mark on NUTURN Gaming, leading the team to their highest international finish. Now, after a stint on Vision Strikers, this former Challengers MVP is back in tier-one VALORANT.
Gen.G Esports, a South Korean team, has announced the addition of Kim “Lakia” Jong-min to its roster. Lakia recently competed on Dplus in Korean Challengers, winning both Korea Splits but falling short in the groups at Ascension Pacific.
Lakia has always been regarded as one of the best talents to come out of Korea. He began his VALORANT career on Vision Strikers and later joined NUTURN Gaming in 2021. NUTURN reached Stage Two Masters in Reykjavík, with Lakia earning the Stage Two Challengers MVP title.
At the tournament, Lakia’s performance was impressive, with NUTURN finishing in third place behind Fnatic and Sentinels. Lakia ranked in the top 10 in various stats, including rating, average combat score, and headshot percentage. He even received MVP recognition for his performance on day four of the tournament.
After his time with Vision Strikers and a year in Japan, Lakia found himself underrated and overlooked in the franchising shuffle. Unable to secure a spot on a franchised team for 2023, he competed in Challengers for Dplus, with some familiar faces from his NUTURN Gaming days on the coaching staff. While Dplus performed well in Korean Challengers, they fell short in Ascension Pacific by one map differential. Lakia is now looking to regain his star status, and Gen.G is confident in his abilities.
With the addition of Lakia to their roster, Gen.G is focused on rebuilding their team. Lakia’s versatility as an initiator allows the team to build around him easily. Together with Kim “Meteor” Tae-O and Kim “t3xture” Na-ra, Gen.G is strengthening their talent for 2024.
If Lakia returns to his MVP form, he will be a force to be reckoned with in the league, both regionally and internationally.
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