FunPlus Phoenix have already made their first roster move ahead of next season. After a season at their lowest in terms of results, the Chinese team has looked to EMEA in an attempt to strengthen its roster and retain its place in the VCT next year. Lithuanian player Richard "
77even" Venskevychius has reached a verbal agreement (pending visa approval) with the organization, sources tell
Sheep Esports. He will replace Blendi "
kovaQ" Kovaci, who has departed the team.
The 19-year-old, who has been competing in the VCL since this season, will switch regions to play in China, although it remains unclear whether FPX will be among the eight teams selected for the
VCT China partnership next season. If not, his season could begin as early as November with an Open Qualifier for Kickoff, although the schedule and formats for the Qualifiers have not yet been publicly announced.
Greater ambitions?
Last year, FPX finished in last place in all three VCT splits of the season. The team made changes throughout the year, including bringing in kovaQ for Stage 1, but the move did not make a difference and ultimately ended after private messages containing racist remarks from the player were leaked from his VALORANT account.
More broadly, the team has struggled on the VCT stage for quite some time, with its last appearance at an international event coming at VALORANT Champions 2024. With a roster that has changed drastically since then, the team has struggled to return to the top, as highlighted by the departure of Chang "BerLIN" Po-lin earlier this year.
The team will therefore hope to usher in a new era with the arrival of a young player like 77even. Despite having just one year of VCL experience, the player has already played for several teams this season, including Formulation Gaming, WIP Esports and, more recently, Pixel Lumina, with whom he recently competed in the Open Qualifier for Monsters Reloaded 2026. He has primarily played Duelist throughout his career so far and could therefore lead to further changes within the roster.
