India’s Velocity Gaming is back, but this time they’re stepping into a different region.
PHILIPPINES – Velocity Gaming has announced the signing of a newly-formed all-Filipino roster, featuring former MLT/Orangutan player Jon Michael “Tesseract” Piga, ex-Oasis Gaming player George “Georggyyy” Lachica, and one of the country’s rising talents, “yokam” (formerly known as PatrickWatson), who previously played for Carti World.
The roster is rounded out by ex-Bren Esports player Yousef “Hotsauz” El-Yousef, former Tyrant Esports player Yukee “Yukxx” Lampa, and former Ivy League Gaming Matthew “choosie” Te.
This marks the first time Velocity Gaming will field a non-Indian majority roster, which, in this case, is an all-Filipino lineup. VLT will therefore compete in the VALORANT Challengers SEA circuit, starting with Split 3, should they qualify. Team manager Adarsh “EUPHO” Singh also confirmed the team’s participation in the OFF//SEASON, in tournaments where “international teams are allowed in our [South Asia] region.”
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In 2024, Velocity Gaming housed an Indian-Indonesian roster after picking up the disbanded Grayfox lineup midway through the season. As one of the heavy contenders for South Asia’s spot at VCT Ascension, they secured a spot in the Split 2 playoffs but ultimately fell short in the double-elimination bracket and finished in third place.
The signing was described as “a learning step towards a bigger goal,” by Velocity Gaming owner Manoj “SENTINEL” Kasyap.
Tesseract, Georggyyy, and Hotsauz were previously part of the Valhalla team during Split 1 this year before each went their separate ways. Meanwhile, the other three players each competed in different teams during Split 2, with yokam standing out as a player to watch not just in his own team but throughout the entire split.
This year marked yokam’s debut in the Challengers Philippines circuit. Although he didn’t advance to the Regular Season of Split 1, he delivered standout performances and moments of individual brilliance. While with Carti World for Split 2, yokam posted an impressive average of 1.26 VLR rating and 286 ACS over 660 rounds, placing him just behind NAOS star Deko “PapiChulo” Evangelista.
It remains unclear whether Velocity Gaming will have a coach with them this time around and how the six-man roster will play out.
Velocity Gaming now have the following Filipino roster:
- 🇵🇭 Jon Michael “Tesseract” Piga
- 🇵🇭 George “Georggyyy” Lachica
- 🇵🇭 Yousef “Hotsauz” El-Yousef
- 🇵🇭 Yukee “Yukxx” Lampa
- 🇵🇭 Matthew “choosie” Te
- 🇵🇭 “yokam”
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Cover photo courtesy of Velocity Gaming
