The long-rumored move of Wang “yosemite” Lei to FPX has been confirmed.
CHINA – FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) have announced the signing of Wang “yosemite” Lei from Bilibili Gaming, who arrives on the team to fill the gap left by Liang “Lysoar” Youhao’s departure to Wolves Esports.
The announcement confirms earlier rumors from Tanmay, who reported FPX’s interest in the 22-year-old following the close of the 2024 VCT season. In the absence left by the vacant slot, former player Liu “ZiXuan” Junwei had recently filled in as a stand-in during FPX’s OFF//SEASON appearance at the TEN VALORANT Asia Invitational.
yosemite joins the team on a transfer from domestic rivals Bilibili Gaming, where he made his mark by qualifying for the VALORANT Champions events in both 2023 and 2024. A career highlight came with his back-to-back upsets over Pujan “FNS” Mehta’s NRG Esports, where yosemite delivered standout performances to eliminate the North American powerhouse.
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However, this past season saw BLG struggle to break out of mid-table standings, finishing 5th at the Kickoff and 7-8th at Stage 1. However, with the arrival of Marcus “nephh” Tan bolstered the roster just in time for VALORANT Champions Seoul, where they managed to qualify and secure the fourth CN seed. Unfortunately, their international run was short-lived, ending in an early exit after losses to FNATIC and KRÜ Esports.
With yosemite joining for the 2025 VCT season, FunPlus Phoenix will be hoping to step out of EDward Gaming’s shadow as China’s top team after placing second in all three VCT CN events this year. Despite qualifying for all three international events in Madrid, Shanghai, and Seoul, FPX consistently found themselves near the bottom of the standings. On top of still qualifying for internationals, the team hope to turn things around against international opposition next season with renewed vigor.
Whether yosemite will be an upgrade or at least a sidegrade compared to Lyosar remains to be seen. However, there’s no doubt he brings more experience to the team, having competed since 2020 with teams like Suning, KONE, and Bilibili Gaming.
yosemite’s debut in his new jersey will come during FPX’s next appearance at the 2024 FGC VALORANT Invitational, where they’ll take on Wolves Esports in the upper quarter-finals.
With the signing of yosemite, FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) currently have:
- Zhang “AAAAY” Yang
- Chang “BerLIN” Polin
- Kale “autumn” Dunne
- Qu “Life” Donghao
- Wang “yosemite” Lei
- Deng “NaThanD” Senqiao (Coach)
- Yao “York” Kun (Assistant coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
