Kohaibi Does Not Renew Contract With Team SMG

Team SMG GC’s in-game leader, Abigail “Kohaibi” Kong, announced on Twitter that she was looking for a team. She had been with Team SMG for nearly two years before departing.

Kohaibi Tweeted that her contract with Team SMG has ended, and she is looking for new opportunities to help her grow as a player. With all the success she’s brought to Team SMG, it’s hard to imagine that she was kicked from the roster and is likely deciding to leave.

LFT
My contract has ended and I am currently looking for a new opportunity that would allow me to continue to grow as a player.

– Able to IGL
– Can play any role but preferably sentinel/duelist
– Able to improve the team in every way (promise)
– Able to relocate

DMs/ig or…

— SMG Kohaibi 🧚🏻‍♂️ (@kohaibi) February 1, 2024

This announcement came as a shock, considering how well Team SMG GC performed throughout 2023. The roster dominated every APAC Game Changers tournament last year and placed fourth at the Game Changers 2023 Championship at São Paulo after losing to Team Liquid Brazil in the Lower Bracket.

She was the first piece of the puzzle to Team SMG’s female roster and was pivotal for the organization’s Game Changers journey. Team SMG GC went through a roster shuffle after a disappointing stint in early 2022, with Kohaibi being the only survivor of the roster purge. 

The Singaporean organization then picked up the roster that would eventually play in the Game Changers Championship, as the additions of Alexandria “Alexy” Francisco, Kelly “shirazi” Jaudian, Camille “Kamiyu” Enriquez, and Odella “enerii” Abraham brought the team to life. 

With this iteration of the roster, Team SMG GC won Game Changers APAC Open 2, 3, and Elite, pocketing $19,000 in winnings throughout 2023 before playing in their global LAN, the Game Changers Championship.

Now, the future of Team SMG GC is in question. Having lost their in-game leader, the roster may go through a few more players, or they must find a replacement of Kohaibi’s caliber. With such firepower and intelligence, having someone fill the big shoes the Singaporean left behind will be challenging.