Smoggy departs EDward Gaming, joins Bilibili Gaming
Smoggy's addition to Bilibili Gaming officially closes the chapter on his five-year long tenure with EDward Gaming.
CHINA – Bilibili Gaming have officially signed Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao following his departure from EDward Gaming.
Smoggy had been a part of EDG’s VALORANT roster since 2022, gaining extensive experience on both the regional and international stage. Prior to his signing with EDG, he was playing for Weibo Gaming from 2021 to mid-2022.
EDG initially struggled to find their footing globally, finishing in 13th-16th place at Champions Istanbul 2022 and 17th-32nd place at LOCK//IN Sao Paulo 2023, the event that marked the start of the first VCT partnership cycle. However, they made significant improvements in the second half of the 2023 season, placing 5th-6th in both Masters Tokyo and Champions Los Angeles.
The 2024 VCT season was undoubtedly Smoggy’s standout year with EDG. Domestically, the team pulled off a three-peat in VCT CN, winning Kickoff, Stage 1 and 2, defeating FunPlus Phoenix in all three Grand Finals. Internationally, despite finishing in 5th-6th place at Masters Madrid and 7th-8th place at Masters Shanghai, they pulled off a miracle run at Champions Seoul to eventually defeat Team Heretics in the Grand Finals and lift VCT CN’s first ever international trophy since the beginning of the first partnership cycle.
Following their Champions win, EDG found difficulties in replicating the success they found in 2024 on the international stage. Despite podium finishes at Masters Bangkok and London, they were among the first teams to be eliminated at Champions Paris 2025 and Champions Shanghai this year.
BLG are looking to update their roster for VCT 2027+ after missing out on every international tournament in 2026. Aside from Smoggy’s signing, the Chinese organization has parted ways with Korean head coach Anaks who has since signed with Titan Esports Club.
With this, BLG’s VALORANT current roster ahead of the 2027 season is:
- Wang "whzy" Haozhe (signed through 2029)
- Marcus "nephh" Tan (signed through 2029)
- Liu "Knight" Yuxiang (extended for 1 year)
- Wang "rushia" Xiaojie
- Yang "bud" Renyu
- Gu "yilai" Yiming
- Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao
- Yan "FT" Shuaibo
- Wang "Jexen" Lin Xiao (Coach)
Cover photo courtesy of Bilibili Gaming