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Best Esports Team of 2023 among First to Join New Valorant China League
Recently crowned ‘Best Esports Team of 2023’, Jingdong Gaming (JD Gaming/JDG), is officially set as one of the first teams confirmed in Riot Games’ new Valorant League. Having found much success in sister game League of Legends, especially in 2023, them being the part of VCT China makes a lot of sense.
Moreover, JDG is not the only newcomer to the league. Infamous NA slayer, Bilibili Gaming (BLG), has also been officially confirmed as one of the teams.
Lastly, we have FunPlus Phoenix, a powerhouse organization that has made some strides in Valorant, to match their League equivalent in success.
A New League?
As reported by Strafe Esports earlier this year, Riot Games is in the midst of forming a fourth international league. At the end of 2022, Riot unveiled their planned direction for professional Valorant, funneling all competitive aspirations into their three new leagues (dubbed the International leagues), and considered the definitive Tier 1 team in terms of status. 2023 proved to be a success for all three leagues. The three international events that were held across the year also proved to be mega successes.
Moreover, one of the lesser planned elements during these international events was to introduce the rest of the world to Chinese teams. Up until this year, Chinese teams have had very little exposure and even less success internationally. However, at Masters Tokyo and then Champions LA, teams such as EDward Gaming and Bilibili Gaming proved the viability of the region and the swelling slew of talent that could come from such a massive previously untapped region.
Fans of Riot’s other IP, League of Legends, are keenly aware of China’s ability to produce megastars. In recent times, the LPL (China’s professional LoL league) has even arguably been seen as the strongest and most competitive league. So, it comes as no surprise that Riot has sought to tap into the market early in their sequel competitive IP.
More to Come
With a total of 10 teams planned for this newest league, seven more announcements are expected. Some names, such as EDward Gaming (EDG), is almost a given. EDG has dominated all of 2023, having successfully earned the highest placement for any Chinese team at an international Valorant event. Moreover, they most recently won all three of the Valorant China Evolution Series, securing a virtual domestic dynasty for themselves.
Lastly, according to sources, only 5 of the known ‘LPL’ organizations have been invited to VCT China. With JDG, BLG, and FPX already confirmed, and EDG extremely likely, it only leaves one extra name to be called. However, for fans of some of Tencent’s other IPs, it is suggested that some of the bigger names from games such as Honor of Kings and Crossfire may be in attendance next year.
Stay tuned as more information unfolds. All the latest coverages on Strafe Esports.
Credit: JD Gaming // Valorant Esports
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