EDward Gaming could make a strong comeback at the
VALORANT Champions, which will take place in Shanghai. Having just been prematurely eliminated from the
VCT China Stage 2 Play-Ins, the region’s most decorated team is set to make a change that could significantly strengthen the roster ahead of the biggest competition of the season.
Without a team since the end of his stint with JD Gaming a few weeks ago, Park “stew” Young-chan will join the 2024 world champions, sources tell Sheep Esports. He will replace Zhang “Jieni7” Juntai, who had been part of the roster since 2025, and will therefore compete in his first international tournament after nearly three seasons spent trying to qualify for one with JDG.
Significant room for improvement
Despite a disappointing overall performance at VCT China Stage 2, which ended with a Play-In loss to JDG on Tuesday, EDG are nevertheless guaranteed a spot at the VALORANT Champions, which will take place in their home country. Having accumulated enough Championship Points throughout the year (20 at present, seven more than third-placed All Gamers), the Stage 1 winners have built up a sufficiently comfortable lead to avoid being overtaken.
Nevertheless, it had become increasingly apparent that the team needed to address several issues ahead of the most demanding competition of the year. EDG have therefore opted to turn to stew, who has been without a team since June, when he and JD Gaming agreed to part ways. The player, who joined the league in 2024, has long been regarded as possessing significant untapped potential, although his team had failed to translate it into results. He will now have the opportunity to demonstrate what he can do within the region’s most successful team on the international stage.
From a tactical standpoint, although stew has historically played as a Duelist, he transitioned to a Controller role during Stage 1 this year and could potentially retain that position at EDG, where Jieni7 previously operated. The team could also hand the Controller role to Zhang “Smoggy” Zhao, allowing stew to become the team’s second Duelist alongside Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang.
