VALORANT’s very own Lakia makes his comeback to the very team he lifted the Masters Shanghai trophy with.
SOUTH KOREA – Gen.G have brought back Kim “Lakia” Jong-min, who returns to the roster after helping the team achieve major success in 2024.
During his first stint with Gen.G, Lakia was part of a groundbreaking run that saw the team dominate both domestic and international scenes, claiming victories at Kickoff, Stage 2, and Masters Shanghai, while also securing second-place finishes at Stage 1 and Masters Madrid.
Gen.G’s 2024 season brought the Pacific and broader Asian region their very first international VALORANT trophy. Although their campaign concluded somewhat disappointingly with a 9th-12th place finish at Champions Seoul, Gen.G’s performance throughout the year was still a phenomenal achievement for a roster that surpassed all expectations.
ALSO READ: VCT CN Stage 2 reaches playoffs
After parting ways with Gen.G in October 2024 to recover from a persistent wrist injury, Lakia took a full break from competitive play. By June 2025, he resurfaced with an LFT post, ready to return, saying he’s now “fully healed, stronger, and more confident.”
Looking back, while Lakia’s 2024 performance was not defined by high frag counts, his impact was more felt through smart utility usage, solid support play especially to star player Kim “t3xture” Na-ra, and a knack for clutch moments, all of which definitely played a key role in Gen.G’s success. Now fully recovered from his injury, it is worth remembering the kind of player he was back in 2021, one of the best fraggers at VALORANT Masters Reykjavik, where he famously carried NUTURN Gaming against FNATIC with his signature agent Sova.
His time as a sixth man for Vision Strikers/DRX and his injury may have pushed him out of the spotlight, but with a clean bill of health and a championship-winning season behind him, there’s more than enough reason to believe he can be a difference-maker once again.
ALSO READ: Looking Back: f0rsakeN and Lakia were considered for FNATIC’s 2022 roster
It remains unclear whether Gen.G will make immediate changes to their starting five, especially given their recent strong performances. Ha “Ash” Hyun-cheol and Jung “Foxy9” Jae-sung have stepped up effectively, helping maintain the success of the core trio from the Masters Shanghai championship run, especially recently at the VALORANT Masters Toronto Group Stage.
With the return of the Lakia of VALORANT, Gen.G now have:
- 🇰🇷 Kim “t3xture” Na-ra
- 🇰🇷 Kim “Karon” Won-tae
- 🇰🇷 Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-beom
- 🇰🇷 Jung “Foxy9” Jae-sung
- 🇰🇷 Ha “Ash” Hyun-cheol
- 🇰🇷 Kim “Lakia” Jong-min
- 🇰🇷 Kang “solo” Keun-chul (Head Coach)
- 🇰🇷 Jung “peri” Beom-gi (Assistant Coach)
- 🇰🇷 Kim “HSK” Hae-seong (Head of Strategy)
For more insights on the Asian VALORANT scene and upcoming content like this, be sure to like and follow VALO2ASIA on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Cover photo courtesy of Liu YiCun/Riot Games
