Photo by Riot Games
After a 5-0 run through the VCT Pacific Stage 2 group stage, Gen.G’s playoff run came to an end with a 2-0 loss to T1. Ult Orb spoke with Controller player Kim “Karon” Won-tae following the match, where he opened up on the result, the 2026 season as a whole, and what lies ahead for him.
“There’s not much to say,” Karon said. “I think we lost due to a difference in skill.”
After finishing 11th-12th in Stage 1, a mid-year rebuild seemed to be the answer for Gen.G, with momentum ramping up in Stage 2 before coming up two wins short of qualifying for Champions Shanghai.
“Honestly, it’s hard to believe, I think,” Karon said of the team’s 2026 season. “In the end, this is the result we got. So, yeah, I guess that’s how it is.”
For Karon, the 2026 season has been chaotic. A change of roles saw the 2024 Pacific Controller of the Year recipient start in a Sentinel/secondary Duelist role in the first half of the year, but ended with him returning to his roots as a smokes player.
Karon’s contract, according to Riot’s VCT Global Contract Database, runs until the end of the 2026 season. Asked about his contract situation and what lies ahead, Karon was candid about the uncertainty facing him.
“Honestly, since I didn’t perform well this year, I’m not sure if any team will even want me,” he said. “Given the current situation, I think there’s even a chance I might not be able to find a team [next year]. So because of that, I think I’ll focus even more on Valorant during this remaining time.”
Gen.G’s 2-0 loss marked not just the end of its 2026 season, but also the team’s final VCT Pacific match. Despite the trophy lifts and wins that qualified the Tiger Nation to international events, Karon shared that his most fond VCT Pacific memory came earlier this year.
“I think going on the five-game win streak during the group stage was a really good memory,” Karon said after some deliberation. “Yeah, I’d consider that a good memory.”
Just three years ago, Karon was barely known. He was a ranked player who climbed the ranked leaderboards before being spotted by and eventually recruited by Gen.G coach HSK. He gave some advice to players looking to follow in his footsteps.
“When you’re doing well in ranked and then start playing the game in a more team-based way, you’ll learn about your own shortcomings or frustrating moments,” Karon said. “I think accepting those parts and still working hard through them is the right direction.”
In a message to the Gen.G fans and his fans, Karon said: “I think a lot of the fans who support me must be quite disappointed, and I imagine there are many like that. But for me, it’s not like there’s only one match left. There are actually still a lot of matches left in my future, in a way. I don’t even know when I’ll retire. So even though this year didn’t go well, I’ll work harder in the rest of my pro career and try to show you all a better version of myself.”
