The VALORANT Competitive scene is at its peak, with incredible gameplay feats on display during the VCT Masters Shanghai. At the same time, other teams in the various VCT Leagues have roster shuffles taking place. It does feel like a lot more roster shuffles could be seen until the completion of the Masters. One team that missed the tournament is DRX. The Pacific powerhouse hasn’t been on top form this season. Therefore, unsurprisingly, the org is announcing a crucial roster change with the return of Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk to its roster. Let’s take a deep dive into this transfer and its impact.
Image Credits: Riot Games
On May 27, on their socials, DRX announced that their Gutaek ‘stax’ Kim would be benched from their active roster. They stated the following in their statement:
“After careful and lengthy consideration, DRX has made the difficult decision to move Gutaek ‘stax’ Kim from the starting roster to the bench, effective immediately.”
Currently, Stax is still part of the DRX VALORANT roster heading into VCT Pacific Stage 2 but is allowed to look for offers in other organizations. In his statement, stax stated the following:
“We learned and grew together in the past 4 years, and the experiences I gained in DRX made me who I am today. I cried and laughed together with all of my teammates and coaches on the stage, and I am thankful and happy to have been a part of this ride.”
Stax was on the DRX roster for over four years in VALORANT. For a few days, there was speculation about who would replace Stax within their lineup. On May 30, DRX announced the return of Flashback to their roster with the statement: “He’s (Flash) back.”
Flashback was part of DRX during the 2023 VALORANT off-season. He participated in the Ten Global Invitations, where DRX finished second. He was active on the team roster during the VCT Pacific Kickoff but was benched following the event. In the opening match of the event against DetonatioN FocusMe, he put up a respectable KDA of 37/23/5.
Image Credits: @DRX_VS | Twitter
DRX has had quite a rocky start to VALORANT esports in 2024. They started the year on the back foot, losing their semi-final match against Gen G during the VCT Pacific Kickoff. Due to this loss, they missed out on qualification for the VCT Masters Madrid. During the VCT Pacific Stage One, they were cruising, winning every single match in the group stages of the event, defeating the likes of Gen G, T1, and Global Esports.
In the playoff stage, they lost their initial match against Paper Rex and the rematch against Gen G. Due to this, they didn’t qualify for the VCT Masters Shanghai. With the addition of Flashback, DRX has a comfortable player for the sentinel role. Due to his young age, he tends to peak aggressively, due to which he dies first.
If Flashback can learn to control his urge to go on the offense on defensive rounds, DRX can qualify for VALORANT Champions 2024. DRX currently has six championship points in hand and is in third place in the VCT Pacific rankings. If they can be consistent and make it into the top 4, it will secure their spot for VALORANT Champions 2024.
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