Karon comes into Gen.G as quite an unknown quantity, having only recorded eight official series during his career so far.
SOUTH KOREA – Gen.G have announced the addition of Kim “Karon” Won-tae to their starting lineup, which subsequently completed the Korean side’s off-season overhaul that saw seven playing and coaching members of the team depart. Kim “Meteor” Tae-O is the only player to remain from the previous iteration of the roster.
Karon stands out as the most uncertain element among the contenders for next year’s VCT Pacific title, yet he also represents a promising discovery made by Gen.G’s scouting efforts. Having only made his official match debut earlier this year, Karon’s competitive experience is limited to eight series, all played during the Open Qualifiers of WCG VCL Korea Split 1 and 2 with a team called “No No No”.
Despite his brief competitive history, Karon has consistently maintained a position among the top 50 of APAC’s ranked leaderboard for a considerable period, reaching his highest rating of 1,016 RR in the recent EP7 ACT 1. In the majority of his ranked matches, he frequently opts for Jett, with Chamber, Reyna, and other duelist agents also being his preferred choices.
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“I will do my best! Thank you!” Karon shared on Twitter in response to joining the major Korean team.
Karon will have large shoes to fill, as Gen.G look to build upon their fourth-place result from the inaugural season of the VCT Pacific League. Nonetheless, the team will be looking forward to him getting well acquainted against tier-one opponents in a LAN setting at an OFF//SEASON competition in India, set for December 14-17.
Along with Gen.G, four other partnered teams – Global Esports, FURIA Esports, FUT Esports, and Team Vitality – will be participating. The Convergence 2023 event in Bengaluru, India, serves as an ideal testing ground for the Korean squad to integrate Karon into their lineup before the start of the upcoming VCT season.
With the Karon signing, Gen.G now have the following lineup:
- 🇰🇷 Kim “Meteor” Tae-O
- 🇰🇷 Kim “t3xture” Na-ra
- 🇰🇷 Kim “Lakia” Jong-min
- 🇰🇷 Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-beom
- 🇰🇷 Kim “Karon” Won-tae
- 🇰🇷 Kim “HSK” Hae-seong (Coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of Gen.G
