Vision Strikers are going through a transition period and adding new players to their roster after missing VALORANT’s first international LAN.
NUTURN Gaming knocked the Korean powerhouse out of Masters qualification in a clean 2-0 sweep at the VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 2 Challengers tournament. On May 17, the team’s in-game leader Kim “glow” Min-soo retired. Days later, Vision Strikers announced two new members: Yu “BuZz” Byung-chul and Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwa. They then announced the addition of trainee Habin “BeYN” Kang on May 24.
Please welcome @Buzz_kr and @MaKoVlrt to Vision Strikers!
비전 스트라이커즈의 새로운 얼굴, BuZz와 MaKo 선수를 환영합니다!#FollowYourVision #VSWIN pic.twitter.com/MFYXCNx5TC— DRX VALORANT (@DRX_VALORANT) May 21, 2021
The moves open questions into how the new roster may be utilized and who will be taking up the IGL role for the team.
Vision Strikers’ IGL and six-man roster
With the two new starting additions, and now a trainee, the question has arisen: who will start at VCT Stage 2? Vision Strikers are no stranger to multi-person rosters. They came into VALORANT with seven players, but the two left out of the starting lineup left for other teams shortly after Vision Strikers’ debut. Both BuZz and MaKo played primarily as Duelists ahead of their move to Vision Strikers. The team is currently working out how to work in their new additions and a starting rotation.
“We are still exploring options of whether to swap members based on what maps we play, or if we just want to field out the best five players and have an extra player on the roster,” said Vision Strikers. “Lately, there have been many teams opting to construct a six-man roster, but we will try to base everything according to our strengths.”
Neither player has experience as an IGL, so the team is still in the process of molding glow’s replacement. MaKo and BuZz were acquired for their mechanics and game knowledge, not strategic acumen.
“Glow left a significant hole when he retired and we know the importance of IGL on a roster. This isn’t a decision we are lightly going to make. And we will be testing out different combinations to see who is the most optimal at filling in on glow’s spot before VCT Korea Stage 3,” they said.
Lastly, fans of the Korean region may have noticed MaKo’s new in-game name. The former TUBEPLE Gaming player previously played under the moniker babo. In Korean, this term means stupid or dumb. Once with Vision Strikers, the team — and MaKo — decided to change his name. The player swapped the two b’s for his initials and thus, MaKo was born.
Fans should keep an eye on Vision Strikers in VCT Stage 3 to see who among BuZz, MaKo and potentially BeYN will get their first start for the organization.
Published: May 24, 2021 03:12 pm