Laz officially steps down from ZETA Division
One of the biggest VALORANT stars of Japan, Ushida “Laz” Koji has decided to step down from the ZETA Division roster.
The former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player switched to VALORANT in 2020 with Absolute Jupiter, a team Laz has been on since 2015.
He quickly rose through the ranks to be the best VALORANT player in Japan. Along with his teammates, Laz dominated every competition in Japan, winning the First Strike Japan.
They placed 2nd at VCT Masters Japan and missed out on Reykjavik in 2021 after another loss to Crazy Racoon. Absolute Jupiter rebranded as ZETA Division and qualified for Masters Berlin, but lost early.
ZETA Division absolutely dominated 2022 Challengers and made a miracle run at Masters Reykjavik 2022, placing third after losing to Optic Gaming. Laz was the MVP for the squad, sometimes single-handedly winning games for the team.
They lost to Northeption, missing out on Masters Copenhagen 2023. The points helped them to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2022, but bailed out in the group stage. 2023 was a disappointing year for ZETA Division, as they failed to perform up to par. While they did qualify for VALORANT Champions 2023 via the VCT Pacific LCQ, they still struggled internationally. 2024 wasn’t any different, as they missed all three International tournaments.
With two back-to-back disappointing years, Laz has decided to step down from ZETA Division. He will stick to streaming for the organization.
With VALORANT Champions 2024 having just concluded, the off-season officially kicks off.
Stay tuned on Strafe for all the latest news.
Featured Image Credits: VCT Pacific
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