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"From Istanbul to Incheon, the road is too difficult. Now, the world is focusing on CN (Chinese) FPS (first-person shooter game)." On August 25, EDG won the championship of the 4th Valorant Global Championship.

This is the first championship of the CN division of Valorant, and also the first global championship in the history of Shenzhen e-sports. In early 2024, EDG Valorant settled in Luohu, Shenzhen, and continued to write the "Spring Story" - in less than a year, it brought back three domestic championships and one global championship.

Pan Yibin, general manager of EDG e-sports club, said in an exclusive interview with Shenzhen Evening News that the desire to win is ingrained in EDG's instinct, and the championship is the result of the team's persistence and hard work, which coincides with the spirit of Shenzhen. EDG is willing to join Shenzhen in the planning of building an internationally renowned sports city and an international e-sports capital, work together, go through more memorable moments together, and knock on the door of the future.

Knowing shame and then being brave

In 2024, the fourth official season of VCT, the CN region entered its first year of operation and was officially integrated into the global competition system of Valorant e-sports. EDG won all the championships of the 2024 VCT CN League. Pan Yibin believes that this is the best reflection and reward of the team's persistence and hard work. Before going to the Seoul Global Championship as the number one seed, player ZmjjKK said to the audience: "If I don't win the championship? Then what kind of profession should I play?"

In the first two World Championships of the 2024 season, EDG's performance did not meet expectations. In the Madrid Masters match against the American team LOUD, EDG lost 5-26; in the Shanghai Masters, EDG was eliminated without winning two games. For a time, social media was full of comments about EDG, saying that they were "experts in domestic battles but amateurs in foreign battles."

"As a professional player, the desire for victory is almost an instinct. It is this desire to win and the belief of not admitting defeat that has always supported EDG to overcome difficulties and move forward firmly." Pan Yibin said that the team does not care about the evaluation during the downturn. On the contrary, it is this kind of evaluation that can motivate the team to learn from the shame and then be brave.

After winning the world championship and being named FMVP, ZmjjKK took the initiative to bring up this story in front of everyone, "Nothing could be more dramatic. It seemed that after that (5-26), we had nothing to lose, and our steps became lighter."

Looking back at this year's World Championship, Pan Yibin regards EDG's life-and-death match against Pacific Team PRX in the group stage as his most profound memory - this match was the last game of the group stage, and the winning side would get the last ticket to the knockout stage.

In the past 5 matches against PRX, EDG only had 1 win and 4 losses. "We are very familiar with PRX. When we won against them before, Jinggg was not on the team, so I always felt that the victory was not perfect."

With the determination to fight to the death, EDG came back from a 1-2 deficit to advance to the knockout stage. Pan Yibin said that if he had not overcome his "inner demons", there would be no subsequent series of stories. "Defeating their 'complete form' is equivalent to further affirming our progress. We have the strength to stand on the highest podium." After EDG won the championship, all PRX members also sent congratulatory messages on social media.

Carrying the expectations of the team in the same city and moving forward

In July 2023, Shenzhen issued the "Several Measures of Shenzhen on Building an International E-sports Capital". In 2024, EDG, Wolves (WOL), DRG, and TE E-sports Club's Fearless Contract divisions successively settled in Shenzhen, and 4 of the 11 teams in the VCT CN League chose to "land" in Shenzhen.

The first round of the Seoul World Championship knockout stage saw the scene that all Chinese audiences least wanted to see - Shenzhen (Nanshan) TE Su vs. EDG, with the two Shenzhen teams dueling on the world's highest stage.

After the game, the two teams met at a barbecue restaurant for a meal. "The atmosphere after the game was just like the photos you saw. We talked to each other. Since we are all teams in the same region, we hope that we can go one step further. This time we will go forward with TE." Pan Yibin believes that it is a bit regrettable that he did not meet the CN team at the top, but he believes that this kind of competition on the field and harmonious relationship off the field can help VCT CN develop in a better direction.

Brothers have a bond of friendship. After TE bid farewell to the global championship stage, ZmjjKK used the TE team skin pistol many times in the game to pay tribute to the brother team. After EDG won the Seoul Global Championship, the Shenzhen teams immediately sent their blessings on social media.

"The achievement we have made this time is a recognition of the hard work of everyone in our Valorant division over the past few years. 2024 is a very important year for the club." Pan Yibin said that 2024 is the 44th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and EDG's championship trophy is a special birthday gift.

"The breakthrough in the performance of the Valorant division has given everyone more confidence in the club's investment in the e-sports industry, and has also given us more prospects and imaginations for the further development of the e-sports industry in the future." Looking to the future, Pan Yibin hopes that the club can join Shenzhen's plan to accelerate the construction of an internationally renowned sports city and an international e-sports capital. "I believe that we will have more room for development and can move closer to our common goal."

Shenzhen Evening News reporter Zheng Zhipeng and intern Zhong Wenyao