Sources - VALORANT: Jovi set to join RRQ as new head coach for 2026

According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Jovanni “Jovi” Vera joined Rex Regum Qeon as a head coach for the 2026 VALORANT VCT Pacific season. This move follows the departure of Marthinus “Ewok” Walt, who stepped down in October 2025 after three seasons in charge. During that period, Ewok oversaw RRQ’s progression from a lower-table lineup to a team capable of qualifying for international events, including Masters and Champions.

Jovi arrives at RRQ after spending 2025 as assistant coach at Talon Esports in VCT Pacific, working alongside head coach Hector “FrosT” Rosario. Talon confirmed after the season that both coaches were free to explore options going into the offseason. Jovi’s work across multiple regions and levels of competition: he served as head coach of 100 Thieves’ main roster in early 2022 following a promotion from analyst, later supported OpTic Gaming as an analyst during their international run that year, and then moved into the North American Game Changers system with Evil Geniuses GC and FlyQuest RED before relocating to the Pacific region.

Jovi would take over a roster coming off RRQ’s strongest VALORANT season. RRQ won VCT Pacific Stage 1 early this year, defeating Gen.G 3–1 in the grand final to claim first place and qualify directly to Masters Toronto as the region’s top seed. RRQ struggled at Masters Toronto and were eliminated after back-to-back losses, but returned to domestic play and produced a second deep run in Stage 2. They reached the grand final again after a lower bracket run, and finished second overall following a 1–3 loss to Paper Rex in the final. That runner-up finish qualified RRQ directly to Champions Paris. RRQ’s 2025 campaign put them back on the international circuit for the first time since their early participation in global events under the old VCT Lockin São Paulo.

For RRQ, appointing Jovi is not a cosmetic change. The organization is replacing a long-term head coach who led them from mid-table to stage titles with a coach who has worked inside the Pacific league structure, prepared playoff game plans against RRQ as recently as Stage 2, and operated alongside FrosT in Talon’s coaching unit. The expectation is that Jovi steps in with immediate responsibility for a roster that has already shown it can reach domestic finals and qualify to Champions, and is now expected to sustain that level across an entire season.