South Korean prodigy, Lakia, returns to the VALORANT scene as he joins Gen.G Esports. After a successful stint with NUTURN Gaming in 2021, where he led the team to their best international finish, Lakia had a brief and disappointing tenure with Vision Strikers. However, he is now back in top-tier VALORANT with Gen.G.
Gen.G Esports announced the signing of Lakia today, making him their second acquisition of the offseason. With this addition, Gen.G now has three players on their roster. Lakia recently competed with Dplus in Korean Challengers, winning both Korea Splits but falling short in the Ascension Pacific groups.
Lakia has always been recognized as one of Korea’s brightest talents, and his skills were evident early on in his VALORANT career. He initially played for Vision Strikers in mid-2020 but truly made a name for himself after joining NUTURN Gaming at the beginning of 2021. He faced off against his former teammates, showcasing his prowess and earning the Stage Two Challengers MVP title as NUTURN secured a spot in Stage Two Masters in Reykjavík.
Continuing their impressive form from Korea, NUTURN Gaming finished the tournament in third place, only behind Fnatic and Sentinels, two dominant teams in 2021. Lakia’s individual performance was exceptional, ranking in the top 10 across various statistics such as rating, average combat score, and headshot percentage. He even received the MVP award for day four of the tournament following NUTURN’s victory over Version1.
Despite experiencing setbacks like a return to Vision Strikers and a year in Japan, Lakia went from being a well-known top talent to being underrated and overlooked during the transition to franchising. He was unable to secure a spot on a franchised team for 2023, leading him to compete in Challengers for Dplus. However, with familiar faces from his NUTURN Gaming days on the coaching staff, Lakia and his team dominated Korean Challengers. Unfortunately, they narrowly missed out on advancing to the knockouts of Ascension Pacific, falling short by just one map differential. Nevertheless, Lakia’s performance reaffirmed his status as a star talent, and Gen.G is banking on him returning to his previous form.
Gen.G is currently rebuilding its team and has successfully filled the duelist role with Lakia’s addition. With his versatility as an initiator who can flex if needed, Gen.G has the flexibility to build a strong team around him. Combined with the talents of Kim “Meteor” Tae-O and Kim “t3xture” Na-ra, Gen.G is poised to strengthen their roster for 2024.
If Lakia can recapture his MVP form, both regional and international competitors should be on high alert. Gen.G is positioning themselves as a formidable force with the potential to make a significant impact in the VALORANT scene.
Source: DOTESPORTS
