As the competitive VALORANT scene looks towards VCT Masters Madrid 2024, many players are gearing up for one of their toughest challenges yet—including Gen.G’s initiator, Kim “Lakia” Jong-min.
The 23-year-old has been an essential member of the squad, and was a key force during Gen.G’s run to a regional championship. The team took down Paper Rex in four games during the 2024 VCT Pacific Kickoff finals, and while he didn’t have eyepopping stats after the series, he was still one of the most clutch players in the world.
Lakia had one of the highest clutch percentages in the world, with a 35 percent clutch success rate including 13 clutches over 37 situations where he was left to win a round by himself, according to VLR. This isn’t the highest clutch percentage compared to the rest of the world, but considering he gets into three times the clutch situations as most of his peers, he is still one of the best.
The only player that has played in a similar amount of clutch situations is Paper Rex Controller player Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart, who has a 29 percent clutch success rate over 35 clutch situations. They both often find themselves in intense matchups, but they’re always able to maintain a calm demeanor as they take down their opponents with ease.
Heading into VCT Masters Madrid, both Gen.G and Paper Rex will have plenty of supporters behind them, even though there are many strong contenders stepping up to the plate for a possible international trophy. They will need to remain strong in the face of adversity, especially when taking on the best teams in the world.
Catch both teams in action when the tournament begins on Thursday, March 14.
