Stewie2K aims to go pro in Valorant

Jake “Stewie2K” Yip, a seasoned CS:GO professional and well-known streamer, has announced his decision to compete in professional Valorant just a few weeks after quitting competitive CS:GO.  After his failed stint with the Evil Geniuses’ CS: GO roster, fans are skeptical about his decision to return to esports so quickly.

On August 11, a little over two weeks after his retirement, Stewie2k publicly stated that he wanted to play professionally at the highest level of Valorants esports. While Stwewi2k’s intentions for Valorant are solid, he has also stated he wouldn’t be discouraged if no teams show interest in him early on.

Stewie2K also mentioned during his Twitch live stream that he would spend the upcoming months grinding the game in an effort to join a squad before Riot Games’ sponsored league is formally launched in 2023. It isn’t only Stewie2k who has expressed strong interests in joining competitive Valorant, Nature Vincere’s star player s1mple also mentioned Valorant as an option after he retires from CS:GO. Shroud, a well-known streamer, and CS:GO veteran, also joined Sentinels a few weeks ago to play at VCT after coming out of retirement.

The rise and fall of Stewie2K in CS:GO

Stewie2K earned his first championship with Cloud9 when he was 18 years old, but after taking home the storied ELEAGUE Major 2018 title, he rose to new heights of glory in CS:GO. He maintained his outstanding play while he was with Team Liquid, winning plenty of  CS:GO events in his first year there, including the IEM Chicago, IEM Sydney, and the ESL Pro League Season 9.

Stewie2K played for Team Liquid during its heyday and, thanks to their exceptional success in 2019, is currently ranked tenth in terms of tournament winnings. Although he has a long list of achievements, especially in the North American scene, his biggest accolade was winning both a Major and an IGS trophy. 

 

In 2022, Stewie2K joined the Evil Geniuses following his tenure with Team Liquid. The results of his recent tournaments, despite participating with a team with years of experience, were not satisfactory. His time with EG turned out to be a complete failure as they were evicted from multiple illustrious tournaments, including IEM Dallas 2022 and BLAST Premier: Spring Finals 2022. Advancing the run of dismal performances, they were also ousted early from the ESL Pro League, BLAST Spring Groups, and BLAST Spring Showdown.

Given his extensive, impressive, and decorated career, the veteran should draw a lot of buyers, but his options would be limited since only a few teams will be accepted for the American-partnered league. According to a recent report from Dot Esports, just six to eight teams from North America will be selected for the partnered league, with teams from Latin America and Brazil filling the remaining seats.

Header: ESL Gaming