The signing of the pair brings Reckoning Esports back to full strength after finishing second in last year’s Challengers South Asia Split 2.
INDIA – Reckoning Esports have secured the signatures of former XERXIA captain Eisuke “LBY” Kuraoka and former Orangutan player Rishi “RvK” Vijayakumar to complete their roster ahead of VALORANT Challengers South Asia.
This is the latest in a series of roster adjustments for Reckoning Esports during the OFF//SEASON period, where players have either departed from the team or been acquired by other organizations. Karan “Excali” Mhaswadkar and Adrian “adrnking” Setiawan were the team’s most recent members, contributing in stand-in capacities; however, their association did not extend beyond the end of last year.
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Stepping into Reckoning Esports, LBY assumes the role of in-game leader, bringing with him experience from the Thai VALORANT scene where he recently plied his trade for XERXIA. The Japanese player played a pivotal role in orchestrating XERXIA’s winning campaign during VALORANT Challengers Thailand Split 2 last year, earning them the opportunity to represent the region at VCT Ascension Pacific.
Securing victories against ONE Team Esports and NAOS Esports, the team’s successful run was halted by Fancy United Esports and BOOM Esports, concluding their campaign on home turf with a 7-8th place finish. Transitioning to the South Asian circuit with Reckoning Esports, the environment won’t be entirely unfamiliar for LBY, given that the team is led by head coach Thanadit “Rennyy” Sakunchan, a former MiTH analyst whom LBY frequently encountered last year.
Rounding out the lineup will be RvK, who formerly represented Orangutan throughout the 2023 season. RvK went on to help the team to victories in both the first and second Splits of Challengers South Asia. Their closely-contested win against Reckoning Esports in the second split particularly earned them the honor of representing their region at the VCT Ascension Pacific.
The tides were not in favor of Orangutan when they squared off against APAC opposition, however, as they could not carry their domestic success. The team returned from Bangkok without securing a win in the group stage, facing defeats in all their encounters against SCARZ, Bonkers, Bleed Esports, and Dplus KIA.
With the inclusion of two new seasoned players in their ranks, Reckoning Esports will be hoping they can challenge the domestic competition once again and secure their first international appearance after falling short of qualifying for Ascension last year—an experience both LBY and RvK are familiar with having qualified.
The two join as Reckoning Esports’ first test in 2024 approaches in VALORANT Challengers South Asia Split 1 Cup 1, which will be starting on February 1.
Reckoning Esports are:
- 🇮🇳 Harsh “Harshhh” Arora
- 🇮🇳 Norbu “Karam1L” Tsering
- 🇮🇳 Rishi “RvK” Vijayakumar
- 🇷🇺 Ilya “Anq” Matyash
- 🇯🇵 Eisuke “LBY” Kuraoka
- 🇹🇭 Thanadit “Rennyy” Sakunchan (Head coach)
- 🇮🇳 Kinjal “Kilobyte” Biswas (Assistant coach)
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Cover photo courtesy of Reckoning Esports
