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The VCT Stage 2 roster window just slammed shut and the fallout is massive: Gen.G loses its IGL, GLYPH crosses the Atlantic to join Envy, and EDG heads to EWC without Smoggy.
The VCT Stage 2 roster window just slammed shut and the fallout is massive. 🔥 Gen.G loses the IGL who helped build their dynasty, Envy pulls a surprise signing from Europe, and EDG heads into EWC shorthanded. Here's every move you need to know before Stage 2 kicks off.
© Riot Games — VCT Americas 2026
After three separate stints spanning three years, Gen.G and Kim "Lakia" Jong-min are finally going their separate ways. The Initiator-turned-IGL was one of the defining players of Gen.G's dominant 2024 run: he helped win Pacific Kickoff, anchored the roster that took down Team Heretics at Masters Shanghai, and became the first Korean-led team to win a non-Kickoff split in VCT history.
The departure stings because the context is rough. Gen.G finished 9th-10th in Stage 1 and slid to 11th-12th in Stage 2 of 2025, a collapse from their near-untouchable 2024 form. Lakia had missed most of 2025 with a wrist injury, returned to limited stage time, and the rebuild clearly did not go as planned.
Lakia's next move is unknown, but expect him to resurface, his IGL credentials remain elite. Gen.G now faces an immediate question for Stage 2: who calls the game?
Conner "GLYPH" Garcia is making the jump from EMEA to Americas, inking a deal with Envy ahead of VCT Americas Stage 2. The controller specialist spent seven months at Gentle Mates, helping the team reach a top-8 finish at Masters Santiago 2026 before being replaced by Proxh just weeks after Stage 1 ended.
The casualty of the signing: Matteo "P0PPIN" Weber, the last original member of the RANKERS lineup still active, gets moved to the reserve roster. P0PPIN had been filling the IGL role for Envy during what the org describes as a "season full of challenges and changes."
GLYPH joins a core of Eggsterr, Demon1, Rossy, and keznit, giving Envy a fresh controller in the mix. Whether this shakes up their standings is Stage 2's big question. Follow the action from the Valorant competitive ladders.
© Riot Games
EDG head to the Esports World Cup 2026 without their star player. Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao picked up a severe wisdom tooth infection during Masters London that triggered high fever and forced surgery in the offseason. He won't recover in time for Paris.
His replacement on the active roster: Dale "signed" Tang, EDG's head coach, who steps in as a player for EWC group stage. EDG were ranked first in China heading into this tournament, so the stakes couldn't be higher. Their group includes BBL Esports, 100 Thieves, and Rex Regum Qeon.
The substitutes zjc and cb were reportedly passed over, possibly due to visa complications for the Paris event. For context on how EWC groups shape up, check out the full EWC 2026 Valorant group breakdown.
The Stage 2 window brought smaller but notable shakeups beyond the headline stories:
Gen.G without Lakia is a structural puzzle heading into a stage where IGL quality wins series. Envy betting on GLYPH over P0PPIN signals a direction shift toward raw mechanicals over in-game leadership. And EDG starting EWC with their head coach on the server is either a calculated risk or a recipe for an upset.
The Teams Heretics roster is also dealing with its own disruptions this cycle, including neilzinho's ACL injury. Stage 2 is shaping up as one of the most unpredictable splits in recent VCT memory.
For those who followed Leviatán's Masters London title run, the competitive landscape is shifting fast. If you want to track your own Valorant game while the pros shuffle rosters, jump into a ladder on Amber.gg and put your skills to the test. 🎮
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