T1 has officially locked in its competitive Valorant roster, signing former Overwatch League talent and South Korean aiming prodigy, Jung-woo ‘Sayaplayer’ Ha.
[jwplayer H8KK3r5D]
Just days after T1 revealed the return of veteran Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Sam “Dazed” Marine, the team has now locked in its fifth and final member.
After years of clicking heads and taking names in the Overwatch League, Sayaplayer – now going by the name of Spyder – has jumped ship. With the 2020 OWL season now in the rearview mirror, he was released from the Florida Mayhem on October 14. Hours later, his new home is now official.
After a few months of rebuilding, T1’s Valorant roster is now complete. Spyder joins Dazed, Braxton ‘Brax’ Pierce, Keven ‘AZK’ Larivière, and Tyler ‘Skadoodle’ Latham.
All five players on @T1's new #VALORANT roster have been locked in.
The final addition is former Overwatch League pro @Minon501 🔥 https://t.co/qsq59VxfIZ
— Valorant News (@ValorINTEL) October 15, 2020
Spyder joins the lineup as the only player without a background in Counter-Strike. His teammates all have years of experience in tactical FPS titles while the 22-year-old comes exclusively from pro-level Overwatch.
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Throughout his time in the scene, he made a name for himself as one of the most formidable hitscan players. He began on the Meta Athena roster in Overwatch APEX Season 2. His final stint in the amateur scene was 2018’s Korean Contenders Trials. Soon after, he was picked up in the big leagues.
Sayaplayer joined a struggling Florida Mayhem roster and made his mark with exceptional Widowmaker highlights in almost every appearance. He remained with the Mayhem through its transition to an all-Korean roster for the 2020 season. The franchise finished fourth in the North American Playoffs.
While he could hold his own against the best Overwatch DPS players in the world, we’ll have to wait and see how his skills translate in Valorant. The brief announcement video from T1 came with a single collateral snipe, which obviously isn’t much to go off.
There’s no telling how long Sayaplayer has been in T1’s sights. However, with his final OWL match taking place in September, it’s clear he’s already been grinding Valorant for a while.
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Keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks as the finalized roster looks to get back to active competition.