Trace Esports will look to rebound in 2026 with new additions of experienced IGL in Ran “Viva” Lifan and their first-ever import in Delbert “deLb” Tanoto.
CHINA – Trace Esports have officially added two new players to their lineup: Delbert “deLb” Tanoto from All Gamers and Ran “Viva” Lifan from Xi Lai Gaming.
The duo are set to make their first appearance this Thursday, November 13, in the CN Evolution Series Epilogue quarter-finals against Titan Esports Club. TE have registered a six-man roster for the event, notably excluding Song “FengF” Xuefeng, whose future remains uncertain amid recent rumors and a period of underperformance.
These roster moves follow a difficult year for Trace Esports, who failed to qualify for the last two international events and posted their worst results to date, finishing 5–6th in Stage 1 and 7–8th in Stage 2. This comes in stark contrast to their strong 2024 campaign with memorable upsets over Team Vitality and LEVIATÁN on the international stage, and a promising early 2025 form that saw them finish second in Kickoff and qualify for VALORANT Masters Bangkok.
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deLb arrives as Trace Esports’ first-ever import after spending the past two VCT seasons with All Gamers. The sentinel player stuck through multiple AG roster iterations and was part of their recent upswing, helping the team secure their first win of Stage 2 and a modest climb to 5–6th place.
Viva’s addition brings even more intrigue, joining as a highly experienced in-game leader from both his time in Counter-Strike and VALORANT.
He most recently guided Xi Lai Gaming to a VCT CN Stage 1 championship and qualified for two of this year’s international events: VALORANT Masters Toronto and VALORANT Champions Paris. Consistent and steady in his Initiator role, Viva is expected to inject much-needed structure and composure into Trace Esports as they look to rebound in 2026, with VALORANT Champions Shanghai looming as a major target for every team in VCT CN.
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young Wolff/Riot Games
