T1 add Korean star Munchkin to Valorant roster
Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesT1 have announced the addition of South Korean player Byeon ‘Munchkin’ Sang-beom, who was last seen playing for Japanese side Crazy Raccoon, to their Valorant squad.
T1 are bringing another Korean to their Valorant squad after trading for Son ‘xeta’ Seon-ho and head coach Yoon ‘Autumn’ Eu-teum from Cloud9 earlier in May.
Munchkin was the in-game leader for Crazy Raccoon over the course of the Valorant Champions Tour in 2021 and the first stage of 2022.
International Valorant fans last saw Munchkin attend the year-end Valorant Champions, where Crazy Raccoon were sent packing in the group stage following defeats to Vikings and Team Secret.
YOU THOUGHT WE WERE DONE??!?!@MUNCHKING_: Professional VALORANT for T1.
Watch the hypeeee 🔻👀
📺: https://t.co/KEjEsXKDSsHuge shoutout to our freelancer, @IKURAOC for creating this video. Go check it out🔥#T1WIN #T1VALORANT #TogetherAs1 pic.twitter.com/n3HZMJvoYW
— T1 (@T1) May 25, 2022
International experience
During his time with Crazy Raccoon, Munchkin competed on a roster alongside Japanese and fellow South Korean players.
Crazy Raccoon has been one of the top two sides in Japan, along with ZETA DIVISION, and Munchkin attended every major international event with the team up until the most recent VCT Masters tournament in Iceland.
Before Crazy Raccoon, the South Korean player competed domestically under Cloud9 Korea. The team attended First Strike: South Korea, among other tournaments, but was disbanded just four months after its creation. That Cloud9 Korea team was where Munchkin first crossed paths with xeta and Autumn.
Before he competed in Valorant, he played Overwatch, making appearances in the Overwatch League with two different franchises, Seoul Dynasty and Boston Uprising.
Now, Munchkin will join a T1 side that is rebuilding after failing to qualify for this year’s VCT Challengers events. According to the organization’s CEO, Joe Marsh, T1 are still committed to competing in North America.
T1’s current roster is:
- Joshua ‘steel’ Nissan
- Zander ‘thwifo’ Kim
- Josh ‘pwny’ VanGorder
- Son ‘xeta’ Seon-ho
- Byeon ‘Munchkin’ Sang-beom