The main event of the year, Valorant Champions 2024, has concluded with an unexpected outcome. The Chinese team EDward Gaming emerged as the event's winner. Although they were the top favorite in their region, they were not predicted to win the championship on the international stage. Nevertheless, the team maintained a strong performance throughout the tournament, defeating more renowned opponents time and again, and eventually securing the title of the strongest team. While the victory is the result of the entire team's efforts, including analysts, coaches, and other staff, the players themselves played the key roles, with the standout being the duelist ZmjjKK. He was ultimately awarded the MVP title of the tournament and was the driving force that led the team to the championship. Today, the Bo3 editorial team has prepared a piece on Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang and his journey from the tier-3 scene to the championship title in Valorant.

2020 - The Beginning of ZmjjKK’s Journey in Valorant

The first documented matches involving ZmjjKK took place in June 2020 during RYFT KO Wednesdays - Week 3, where he played for Royal Never Give Up. At that time, Valorant was just beginning to develop in the regions where the game had officially launched, and there were no official tournaments in China. Throughout 2020, ZmjjKK played with RNG, participating in local events with small prize pools. The tournaments included the Vanguard Cup, DouYu Bie Zhuang Cup: Winter, RYFT KO Wednesdays, among others. Both the team's and ZmjjKK’s performance were quite high, and the player was already earning some, albeit small, but important prize money.

2021 - First Appearances in Official Tournaments

In the following season, ZmjjKK continued to compete in events, but this year, in addition to local tournaments, he also tested his skills on the competitive Riot Games scene. Since there was no official competitive season in China at that time, he participated in the VCT 2021: Hong Kong & Taiwan Stage 2 as part of CBT Gaming. Although the qualifiers were incredibly successful, with ZmjjKK and his team winning all three stages, they finished 7th-8th at the main tournament, VCT 2021: Southeast Asia Stage 2 Challengers Finals, and did not advance to Masters - Reykjavík. After that, he participated in several more events with other teams, but no victories were achieved.

2022 - Dominating the Chinese Scene and First World Championship

At the end of 2021, ZmjjKK's high level of play was noticed on the professional scene, and by September of that year, he was signed by EDward Gaming. Starting in 2022, the dominant position on the Chinese Valorant scene was held by the FGC Series, whose tournaments allowed teams to qualify for international events hosted by Riot. EDward Gaming began the season by finishing 2nd at the FGC Valorant Invitational 2022: Act 1, and then won the next two events. Although the tournaments did not bring the team any monetary prizes, the most important reward was an invitation to the VCT 2022: East Asia Last Chance Qualifier, which the team also won without any issues, with a 3-0 score in the grand final. As a result of these performances, the team qualified for their first world championship - Valorant Champions 2022, where they completely failed, finishing the event in one of the last 13th-16th places. However, although this might seem like a failure at first glance, it was not entirely the team's fault. EDward Gaming had no prior experience competing against tier-1 teams from other regions, so just qualifying for the championship was already an achievement.

2023 - Strong Performances at International Tournaments

Although EDward Gaming's roster underwent some changes in 2023, ZmjjKK remained with the team and continued his journey to the top. The season began with VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, where the team placed 17th-32nd. This was likely due to EDward Gaming's lack of experience with international teams. After this, the team continued to dominate the Chinese scene and qualified for VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo. The team's performance was incredibly strong compared to previous international events, finishing in 5th-6th place. Later, thanks to their dominance at the FGC Valorant Invitational, the team received an invitation to the China Qualifier. There, EDward Gaming emerged as winners and qualified for the world championship. Despite this being only the team's second championship, they successfully surpassed their previous results, with ZmjjKK and his team finishing 5th-6th, causing a sensation among viewers. Many well-known media personalities believed that this marked the beginning of Chinese Valorant's dominance, while others, such as 2023 world champion Boostio and former NRG player Ardiis, were skeptical about Chinese players.

2024 - First Championship Title

Despite the various opinions within the community, ZmjjKK continued to hone his skills, and with the title of one of the world’s best duelists, he began the current year. After the start, his team confidently took 5th-6th place at Masters Madrid and 7th-8th at the following Masters Shanghai. With such results, it became clear that EDward Gaming could already compete on the same level with the best international teams, but that wasn’t the end. Thanks to their victory at VCT 2024: China Stage 2, the team qualified for Valorant Champions 2024 and unexpectedly became its winner. Although the team faced some difficulties in the group stage, where they suffered a loss to G2 Esports, everything changed after entering the playoffs. EDward Gaming confidently defeated well-known opponents like Sentinels and Leviatan and narrowly beat the strongest EMEA team, Team Heretics, 3-2 in the grand final.

Tournament MVP

In addition to global recognition and the championship title, Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang also earned the MVP title of the tournament. Moreover, the Chinese duelist set a new record, becoming the first player to achieve 111 kills in a match played in a Bo5 format.

READ MORE: EDward Gaming – Valorant Champions 2024 Champions

Interesting Facts about ZmjjKK

While most viewers know the Chinese duelist under the nickname ZmjjKK, sometimes he is also known as KangKang, and there is a reason for this. The nickname Zmjj actually belongs to the player’s older brother, and he used KangKang himself. But since his older brother always supported him, ZmjjKK added his own initials KK to his brother's nickname Zmjj as a sign of respect, resulting in the nickname ZmjjKK. The player has shared this story on his official social media in the past. Additionally, ZmjjKK often shares useful tips with viewers on improving their skills in Valorant and the correct settings. You can learn more about the champion's settings in 2024 below.

ZmjjKK's Settings and Devices in 2024

Conclusion

Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang has had a challenging journey, from participating in local tier-3 tournaments on the Chinese scene to winning the world championship in 2024. Although many professional players initially underestimated the Chinese star, today ZmjjKK is one of the best duelists in the world, and his nickname stands alongside well-known professionals such as Aspas, Demon1, and others. We will continue to follow the Chinese star in the next season to see if he can retain his title as the strongest player in 2025.

F.A.Q.

How old is ZmjjKK?

As of the time of writing, ZmjjKK is 20 years old, making him one of the youngest world champions.

Which team does ZmjjKK play for?

For the past three years, ZmjjKK has been playing for EDward Gaming, and he is unlikely to leave the team.

How much has ZmjjKK earned throughout his career?

As of the time of writing, ZmjjKK has earned $254,450, according to Liquipedia.