Heading into 2025, DRX will keep three players from their 2024 roster instead of just two with the return of Kang “BeYN” Ha-bin.
SOUTH KOREA – DRX has confirmed the return of Kang “BeYN” Ha-bin to their active roster, replacing Na “Athan” Ha-jun after a brief three-month absence throughout the OFF//SEASON.
The announcement surprised many, coming just two weeks before the start of the VCT Pacific Kickoff. According to DRX’s statement, Athan’s exit from the VCT Pacific roster was the result of a “mutual agreement” that will see him return to DRX Prospects, the organization’s academy program.
BeYN was first called up from DRX Prospects in March after the Kickoff event to fill in for Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk during his indefinite leave. In his debut, BeYN delivered impressive numbers, ranking as the tournament’s third-highest-rated player with a 1.15 rating, trailing only RRQ’s Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov and DRX’s own Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan. However, it still was not enough to secure the team’s qualification for VALORANT Masters Shanghai.
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While his stats were not always consistent, BeYN’s role as the team’s morale booster was frequently mentioned in interviews and press conferences. His uplifting presence proved important this season, most notably helping DRX to pull off the iconic BO5 reverse sweep against Paper Rex in Stage 2, securing their return to the Pacific Season Grand Finals for the second consecutive year.
“In my opinion, I think I have a unique personality to bring the mood up even if things are looking bad,” BeYN told VLR.gg. “I’ve been with the org for a while, and I was familiar with the roster anyway. When I joined the team, they just accepted me for who I was, so it all worked out.”
Athan, on the other hand, had a strong debut at the TEN VALORANT Asia Invitational, where he was the team’s highest-rated player. However, he wasn’t able to maintain that level of performance in the following campaigns at the SOOP VALORANT League and the VALORANT Radiant Asia Invitational.
DRX will have some extra time to regroup compared to other teams, with their first match set for January 20th against the winner of ZETA DIVISION vs. Nongshim RedForce.
DRX now have:
- 🇰🇷 Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan
- 🇰🇷 Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk
- 🇰🇷 Song “HYUNMIN” Hyun-min
- 🇰🇷 No “free1ng” Ha-jun
- 🇰🇷 Kang “BeYN” Ha-bin
- 🇰🇷 Seon-ho “termi” Pyeon (Head Coach)
- 🇰🇷 Soon-woo “Argency” Kwon (Coach)
- 🇰🇷 Kim “glow” Min-soo (Coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
