Light the Way: Global Esports announces ‘blaZek1ng’ as fourth pickup for VCT 2024 season
Global Esports has now announced their latest acquisition, Indonesian player Gary “blaZek1ng” Dastin for their VCT 2024 season. The announcement was made on the 25th of September. “blaZek1ng” is the fourth pickup for the India-based organization’s Valorant roster. He most recently played for Indonesian organization BOOM Esports, having been part of their organization since 2020 with his debut to Valorant.
On the Grind
“blaZek1ng” has been playing professional Valorant since 2020, where he debuted with BOOM Esports. Since then, the 27-year-old has been an integral part of the roster, functioning as the experienced bedrock of the team. With him on the roster, BOOM has successfully dominated the Indonesian Valorant scene since 2021. In 2022, BOOM took the Indonesia Stage 1 Challengers (1st place). In 2023, BOOM won the Indonesia Challengers League Split 2, earning 2nd place in Split 1.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, BOOM was largely considered to be the second or third-best SEA team behind Paper Rex and potentially Bleed. At the end of 2022, they attended Champions 2022, falling to ZETA Division and finishing 13th-16th. Their most notable series played internationally was at the same tournament, against OpTic Gaming, where they went 1-2.
In 2023, BOOM Esports’ performance in the Valorant Challengers League (VCL) earned them a spot at the VCT Pacific Ascension event, where they finished 3rd-4th, losing to eventual winners Bleed Esports.
Gary "blaZek1ng" Dastin of BOOM competes at the VALORANT Champions 2022 Istanbul Groups Stage on September 4, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesWho is blaZek1ng?
Having spent the large majority of his Valorant career playing domestically, many fans may not be familiar with “blaZek1ng.” Gary performed as the supportive and flex element for BOOM Esports for most of his career. He was particularly noticeable for his solid mechanics and consistency. Towards the end of his time on BOOM, he primarily played controllers and sentinel, logging the most time on Viper and Killjoy respectively.
Global Esports roster thus far
With the pickup of “blaZek1ng,” Global Esports has assembled four players with an incredible wealth of flex knowledge. Benedict “Benkai” Tan, Adhirup “Lightningfast” Choudhury, Russel “Russ” Mendes, and Gary have all performed as flex players for their roster and are well-versed in maintaining a large agent pool.
The primary concerns for the roster as it continues to take shape, are the ages of the players they have assembled. At the ages of 28, two 27-year-olds, and 22, “Lightningfast” being the youngest, it does bring to mind concerns on the longevity of the roster. However, this can also be outweighed by arguments on the reliability and consistency of all these players, which younger players often do not reflect.
Conclusion
Global Esports has now confirmed their fourth pickup for their VCT Pacific 2024 season. The introduction of “blaZek1ng” brings on another reliable support to the roster. Time will tell if Global Esports’ roster has the makings of a Championship-winner.
Global Esports roster currently consists of the following players:
- Benedict “Benkai” Tan
- Adhirup “Lightningfast” Choudhury
- Russel “Russ” Mendes
- Gary “blaZek1ng” Dastin
Stay tuned for the latest Valorant news on Strafe Esports. Keep up to date with the latest roster moves on the live roster tracker.
Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games