Five Years With EDward Gaming and a World Title: CHICHOO and nobody Depart, Leaving ZmjjKK as the Last Champion Standing in Valorant
The competitive Valorant offseason has officially dismantled the longest-standing dynasty in Chinese esports. In an official statement released on November 15, 2026, EDward Gaming (EDG) announced the departure of two foundational pillars of its starting lineup: Sentinel and Controller specialist Wan "CHICHOO" Shunzhi and Initiator and in-game leader (IGL) Wang "nobody" Senxu. After more than five years wearing the black-and-white jersey and capturing a historic world championship at VALORANT Champions 2024 in Seoul, both veterans are moving on following a turbulent 2026 campaign, leaving star Duelist Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang as the sole remaining member of the world title-winning roster.
End of an Era at EDward Gaming: Five Years of Domestic Dominance and the Seoul Crown
Having joined the EDward Gaming Valorant division in May and September 2021 respectively, CHICHOO and nobody shaped the tactical identity of the organization long before the official launch of the partnered Chinese league. Across half a decade, the duo established an iron grip over domestic competition while carrying the regional banner across international Valorant Champions Tour stages in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Madrid. Their shared journey reached its pinnacle in August 2024 in Seoul, where EDward Gaming defeated Team Heretics (3-2) in the Grand Final of VALORANT Champions to secure China's first-ever world title in Riot Games' tactical shooter.
Today's announcement completes the breakup of that iconic 2024 starting five. Following the benching and August 2025 departure of Hsieh "S1Mon" Meng-hsun, the roster suffered its first major blow earlier this month when Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao left EDward Gaming after five years to join domestic rival Bilibili Gaming. Within less than two weeks, the organization has parted ways with three of the four veteran anchors who flanked superstar ZmjjKK.
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The Fallout From Champions Shanghai 2026 and the Trace Esports Move for 2027
While the longevity of EDG's core was a rare achievement in top-tier esports, the 2026 season exposed deep structural fatigue. Competing on home soil at VALORANT Champions 2026 in Shanghai, EDward Gaming suffered a painful group-stage exit following a 0-2 defeat against Global Esports. Immediately after that elimination in front of the home crowd, CHICHOO candidly addressed internal friction regarding in-game perspectives and tactical priorities within the squad.
Despite leaving EDward Gaming, the veteran duo is expected to stay together for the upcoming season. Offseason negotiations strongly point toward both CHICHOO and nobody signing with Trace Esports for the 2027 campaign. In a restructured VCT China 2027 ecosystem slimmed down to eight permanent partner organizations alongside qualifiers where Dragon Ranger Gaming and Nova Esports recently swept the Threshold Finals, adding a championship-winning caller and one of Asia's most reliable clutch anchors immediately elevates Trace Esports into title contention.
Rebuilding Around ZmjjKK: What Comes Next for EDward Gaming in VCT China 2027?
For EDward Gaming management, the rebuilding task ahead of the 2027 Kickoff tournament is monumental. As the lone survivor of the Seoul championship squad, Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang remains the centerpiece of the lineup as primary Duelist and Operator star. Alongside him, the active roster currently features Zhang "Jieni7" Juntai, who joined the rotation in early 2025, and South Korean import Park "stew" Young-chan, acquired during the 2026 season.
However, filling the leadership and defensive void left by today's departures will require pinpoint recruitment. Finding a new in-game leader capable of enabling KangKang's explosive tempo while replacing CHICHOO's lockdown mastery on Viper, Omen, and Cypher will define EDward Gaming's offseason over the coming weeks.
The Strategist's Take
Looking closely at how EDward Gaming operated between 2021 and 2026 makes it clear why this double departure cuts much deeper than a standard roster shuffle. While ZmjjKK consistently captured the spotlight with fearless opening picks, it was CHICHOO's ice-cold composure in late-round clutches and nobody's mid-round adaptations that kept the team stable whenever matches turned chaotic.
Watching Smoggy cross the aisle to Bilibili Gaming and then seeing CHICHOO and nobody head toward a direct regional rival like Trace Esports completely flips the power balance in China. For the first time in five years, EDward Gaming will not enter a new season as the undisputed regional boss, but as a challenger forced to build an entirely new tactical system from scratch.
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Born and based in Montreal's Mile End district, Maëlle "Kaelen" became close friends with Chaya during their university software engineering years, bonding over late-night coding labs, campus LANs, and World of Warcraft raids alongside Grimtag and Heimdall. A game systems balancing consultant and lifelong theorycrafter, she cut her teeth in the early 2010s writing boss walkthroughs, frame-data breakdowns, and competitive meta guides for specialized French-language MMORPG and esports portals, including Mondes Persistants, as well as North American strategy collections. On Pro-Gamer, she leads in-depth walkthroughs, build optimization, and tactical esports coverage.
