Former DRX IGL Stax joins T1 for VCT 2024 Split 2
T1 VALORANT has announced the addition of former DRX IGL Kim “stax” Gu-Taek.
Stax’s four-year long association with DRX-Vision Strikers came to an end last month. With the player’s experience of leading one of the best teams in the world, the pickup doesn’t come as a surprise.
According to T1 Coach Jacob "Daeda" Hale, the team was looking to bring in an additional player that would offer the team more role changes and combinations. Thus, "stax" will be coming onto T1 as the sixth man.
"We have a few scrim sessions with multiple player/role changes and combinations. We are brining in a 6th player not replacing a player." - Daeda
T1 2024 journey:
T1 themselves are coming off of a disappointing split. They started the year after missing Masters Madrid following a loss to Paper Rex in the semi-finals.
The team struggled heavily during VCT Pacific Split 1, winning only two of their six matches. Fortunately, their group was struggling and they managed to qualify for the Playoffs.
T1 displayed their resilience and confidence in the Playoffs, winning over Team Secret in the Knockout game and then over Gen.G to secure Masters Shanghai.
Coming into Shanghai, they could not show their full potential, losing to G2 Esports in their opening game and then to Leviatán.
The two losses in Shanghai concluded their International run. While they did secure an International event, it was off just two wins and a Playoff qualification secured by a very slim margin.
Stax joins T1:
With Stax joining in, T1 not only adds a strong IGL but also a player capable of meeting some of the best talents in the world head-on.
T1 is yet to announce the starting lineup. But nevertheless, stax undoubtedly still brings a lot of international experience, flexibility and clutch potential that has proved itself on the biggest stages of competition. Whether or not he wield a mouse for T1 in their opening games, his impact will surely be felt.
"Due to the time limitations between our time and Shanghai and Stage 2, giving us 11 days of practice. I personally would much rather have options rather than making extreme decisions like cutting a player. But that is a personal take. This allows us to have more time to make decisions while also having extra input to make the right choice before Split start." - Daeda
With Stax in, the current T1 lineup is as follows:
- Ha “Sayaplayer” Jung-woo
- Lee “Carpe” Jae-Hyeok
- Ham “iZu” Woo-joo
- Kevin “Xccurate” Susanto
- Deniel “Rossy” Abedrabbo
- Kim “stax” Gu-Taek
- Yoon “Autumn” Eu-teum (Head Coach)
The new T1 VALORANT line-up will debut against Gen.G at VCT Pacific Split 2 Group stage.
Featured Image Credits: T1 on X(formerly Twitter)
Read More:
Neon meta incoming? Agent changes coming with VALORANT Patch 8.11