Professional Valorant player Natchaphon “sScary” Matarat came out of retirement in hopes of reviving the Chinese Valorant scene – but any dream of a revival was short-lived as he got benched after just three matches.

The Thai player began his Valorant career with X10 Esports and XERXIA, qualifying for several international tournaments and helping put his country on the Valorant map.

sScary then landed a spot on BLEED Esports, where he led the team to a win at VCT Ascension Pacific 2023, helping the Singaporean org claim a franchising slot. There, he had the opportunity to play with Jacob “yay” Whiteaker, who is considered one of the greatest players in Valorant history, though their partnership only ended in a feud between them.

An Unlucky Career

In late 2024, calamity struck as sScary learned that BLEED Esports would have their VCT Pacific slot stripped away due to repeated contractual violations and failure to meet Riot’s official operating standards. This decision effectively robbed sScary of his chance to continue competing at the highest level.

Following BLEED’s removal, which led to the entire lineup being cut, sScary ultimately decided to retire from competitive Valorant in January 2025.

A Shot at Redemption

Ten months after hanging up his keyboard, sScary was presented with an interesting opportunity, as he was recruited by FunPlus Phoenix to compete in VCT China. Despite the language barrier and holding the status of a retired player, the 26-year-old gave professional Valorant another shot.

The lineup debuted internationally at the Valorant Radiant International Invitational in December 2025, with sScary shouldering in-game leader duties. The team got off to a flying start, winning matches against the likes of Paper Rex and G2 Esports, and ultimately finished third at the event. 

FPX’s performance gave Chinese fans a lot of hope, as the roster showed strong potential.

A Disastrous VCT Campaign

The team traveled back home, looking to prove their worth at VCT China Kickoff. However, sScary’s debut in VCT China became one to forget.

FPX lost its opening series to TYLOO, only managing to muster seven rounds in the entire Best of 3 series, losing 0-2. Bilibili Gaming was up next, and though the squad put up a decent fight, the series still went the other way with another 0-2 loss.

The squad was sent into a do-or-die match against JD Gaming, which ended in a 1-2 loss. These results meant FPX were eliminated from VCT Kickoff, having just won one map throughout their campaign.

According to Sheep Esports, FunPlus Phoenix are already heavily favoring sScary’s benching, marking a particularly unceremonious return to competition.