- The Japanese organization parts ways with the 24-year-old Korean player
- Munchkin says his low skill in the Japanese language played a crucial part in the team’s decision
- During his 14 months on the team, Munchkin helped the Raccoons win many tournaments
The Crazy Raccoons make a substantial mid-seasonal change by parting ways with their in-game leader Munchkin.
Munchkin leaves the Raccoons
The VALORANT Champions Tour is now well underway all around the globe, but this does not stop organizations to make roster changes, or even suspending players if they see the requirement. For example, last week FNATIC suspended one of its pros over controversial statements about the war in Ukraine.
FNATIC is not the only organization to do mid-seasonal changes. Crazy Raccoon recently parted ways with its in-game leader Munchkin, fortunately not over political controversies. The Japanese organization announced that the 24-year-old Korean in-game leader is leaving the team after its defeat to ZETA Division in the VCT Japan: Stage One Challenger finals.
Crazy Raccoons was a real Japanese powerhouse last year, due in part to Munchkin’s leadership. However, the team’s dominance began to dwindle as ZETA Division’s climb of the leaderboard started to pick up the pace, following their victory during the VCT Japan: Stage Three finals over Crazy Raccoon.
Now that the Raccoons have lost yet again to ZETA, they will be looking out for a new in-game leader.
Munchkin’s Career in the Crazy Raccoons
Munchkin, a former Overwatch pro, most notably playing for Seoul Dynasty and Boston Uprising, made the switch over to VALORANT in 2020 through Cloud9’s Korean branch. The 24-year-old player made the regional switch from his home country in South Korea to Japan after just four months in C9. He then quickly became a household name amongst Japanese viewers.
Speaking about the departure, Munchkin responded on Twitter to the Raccoons’ announcement. He stated that his grasp of the Japanese language was one of the primary issues. Obviously being fluent in the language would have immensely helped him in his task as an in-game leader. Given his desire to utilize his skillset as an IGL to the fullest, his time representing the Japan region may be over.
Munchkin spent 14 months with the Crazy Raccoons, helping the team achieve many great goals. As an in-game leader, he led the roster to win first place in APE VALORANT Battle and the VALORANT TechnoBlood Climber Summit event. Munchkin’s leadership additionally helped the Raccoons win both the VCT 2021 Japan Stage 1 and Stage 2.
However, the loss to ZETA Division at the VCT 2022: Japan Stage 1 Challengers Playoffs seems to have been enough for the organization to part ways with the Korean player.
