Valorant star announces return ahead of Champions event

Patiphan ‘Patiphan’ Chaiwong, one of the best Valorant talents in Southeast Asia, will compete at Valorant Champions after recovering from injury, his team have announced.

The Thai star, who plays for X10, is set to make another international appearance after being forced to take a break from competition because of a wrist injury.

Patiphan, 18, became an international sensation at the VCT Stage Masters 2, in Reykjavík, with his antics and incredible skill. He was ranked fourth overall for ACS (247) in Iceland despite X10 picking up only one victory, against Japanese side Crazy Raccoons.

Just weeks after the tournament, Patiphan revealed that he had been playing with an injured wrist “for seven months”.  And while he said that the problem was not affecting his performance, he admitted that it was time “to actually take care of myself.”

Big impact

Patiphan’s recovery comes as a major boost for X10, who had to play in the VCT Southeast Asia Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs with head coach Yuttanagorn “Zeus” Kaewkongyai as a stand-in. The team crashed out of the tournament in the group stage following a two-way tie with BOOM Esports for second place.

Discover more: Can nAts defy the odds at VCT Masters Berlin?

X10 are one of the three teams already confirmed for Valorant Champions, alongside Sentinels and KRU Esports. The end-of-the-year event will take place in Berlin between December 2 and 12.