EDG ZmjjKK burnt out after grueling 2023 Valorant schedule

EDG Valorant star Zheng ‘ZmjjKK’ Yongkang said he is burnt out following the conclusion of his team’s off-season tournament schedule on a livestream.

EDG has had a grueling 2023 Valorant esports schedule. The Chinese team played in 11 tournaments throughout 2023, with many of them being LAN events.

EDward Gaming usually went the distance in many of those events, mainly the tournaments in China, and played over 50 matches in total. That number does not factor in scrims against other Valorant teams, or time streaming ranked matches for fans.

The team, and its star player ZmjjKK, didn’t get much of a break after Valorant Champions 2023 either. Many teams that took the stage in Los Angeles took an extended break after the World Championship but EDG continued to compete, playing in the China Evolution Series just a month later.

In a livestream following the team’s run at the AfreecaTV Valorant League off-season event, ZmjjKK said that he and his team were burnt out.

EDG burns out Valorant squad with constant tournaments

Internationally, EDG had its best year ever after bowing out of VCT LOCK//IN after one series. The Chinese squad placed in the top six at Masters Tokyo and Valorant Champions 2023.

However, the toll of playing in those competitions and then booking more events in the off-season, has taken an obvious toll on EDG’s players.

“We are tired, the coaches are tired, our whole team is tired. So, I hope you really understand,” ZmjjKK said on stream according to a translation from Valo2Asia.

The player also revealed that during his team’s poor showing at the AfreecaTV off-season event, they were using old strategies from their playbook instead of coming up with new ones.

The Chinese Valorant star seemed to be ready for a break as he said the team is going to take the holidays off.

“I hope I can regain that competitive feeling. I believe I can. We finally have a holiday, a rare one. So, let’s just take a complete break during this time,” he said.

EDward Gaming and ZmjjKK will be back from Valorant action in 2024 as the team was selected to join the VCT China league by Riot Games. The league’s kickoff tournament is set to start on February 22.