EDward Gaming Valorant player Zheng ‘ZmjjKK’ Yongkang was praised by former CS:GO pro and 100 Thieves head coach Sean Gares in a recent podcast as the next superstar based on his VCT Masters Tokyo performance.
ZmjjKK has risen quickly to star status in the Valorant community thanks to his incredible mechanics and on-stage antics. The Chinese sniper, along with EDward Gaming as a whole, has caught the attention of many analysts as they have watched the Chinese team develop over the course of a year on the international stage.
One analyst, Sean Gares, has decided to crown the charismatic and mechanically gifted Valorant player as the esport’s next superstar.
“This guy’s a legit superstar,” Gares said on an episode of Daring Minds. “He’s the guy that’s not going to miss a shot, he’s going to emote after he gets an insane clutch.”
ZmjjKK might be the next big thing in Valorant
The rise of EDward Gaming and ZmjjKK is a long time coming. Valorant has yet to release in mainland China, but esports organizations have already been fielding teams for over two years. Fans finally got a taste of Chinese Valorant, and ZmjjKK, at Valorant Champions 2022.
However, EDG was quickly bounced from the tournament in the group stage. The team would see international play again at VCT LOCK//IN this year but they were also eliminated from that event early, after just one series.
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At VCT Masters Tokyo, EDG has seemingly leveled up their play and managed to qualify for the playoff stage and get China its first wins on an international Valorant stage.
“It’s f**king coming, like I can see it. I can see it happening. I see the progression from when I was coaching 100 Thieves at Champions last year, to LOCK//IN when I watched them. I’m like, there’s just no way in a year’s time they’re not like in the top four of every event,” Gares said about EDward Gaming.
Fans will have to wait and see if EDG and ZmjjKK will be able to continue to show off their fast-paced playstyle and mechanical prowess on the international stage as they take on LOUD in the lower bracket of VCT Masters Tokyo on June 17.
