The 21-year-old duelist transferred from Attacking Soul Esports to FunPlus Phoenix for the VCT CN League.
CHINA – FunPlus Phoenix have completed the signing of Qu “Life” Donghao, with the 21-year-old duelist joining the roster in place of the departing Tang “TZH” Zhehao, who recently moved to Dragon Ranger Gaming.
Speculations within the CN VALORANT community in recent weeks had hinted at Life’s impending contract with FunPlus Phoenix, a move that has now been officially confirmed by the organization.
Additional details in the report indicate that Kale “autumn” Dunne, an import player and a key performer for the FPX side, is set to transition into TZH’s role as a controller to accommodate Life’s primary duelist position. The question of whether autumn can maintain the same level of performance in a non-duelist role remains to be seen, but the impact of this move is anticipated to further raise the team’s bar against domestic opponents.
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Having been a constant presence on the international stage for China, Life is best known for his extensive tenure as an original member of the EDward Gaming roster since 2020 and his international debut at VALORANT Champions Istanbul followed their victory in the 2022 East Asia Last Chance Qualifier.
Despite experiencing an upward trajectory, Life parted ways with EDward Gaming towards the end of 2022 and subsequently joined Attacking Soul Esports, maintaining his position within China’s upper echelons. Taking on the role of a duelist player once more, it did not take long for Life to secure Attacking Soul Esports their inaugural international appearance at VALORANT Masters Tokyo as the region’s top seed following a win in the FGC VALORANT Invitational Act I over his former team.
However, towards the end of 2023, Attacking Soul Esports faced disappointment as they failed to progress through the partnered VCT CN League by Riot Games. Despite attempting to qualify via the Ascension route as the fifth-highest-rated team from the China Evolution Series circuit table, their journey took a downturn. The decisive blow came in the form of a defeat to eventual champions Dragon Ranger Gaming in the lower final of Ascension CN, sealing their fate and leading to their non-participation in the prestigious tier-one league.
With FunPlus Phoenix making it to the VCT CN League, they looked to another duelist player in Life to bolster their firepower and bring new life to the team. This marks Life’s third team in his career, with each of them having served as previous international representatives for CN VALORANT at the highest level.
FPX now have one month to prepare for their debut with the new signing, which will take place in Shanghai where the team will play in the KICK//OFF VCT CN League event for two spots at VALORANT Masters Madrid.
FunPlus Phoenix are now:
- 🇨🇳 Zhang “AAAAY” Yang
- 🇹🇼 Chang “BerLIN” Polin
- 🇨🇳 Liang “Lysoar” Youhao
- 🇦🇺 Kale “autumn” Dunne
- 🇨🇳 Qu “Life” Donghao
- 🇨🇳 Deng “NaThanD” Senqiao (Coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of Lee Aiksoon/Riot Games
