Premier Korean esports organization T1 Entertainment & Sports has officially signed former CS:GO pro Keven “AZK” Larivière as a streamer and competitive VALORANT player. The 29-year-old joins former iBUYPOWER teammate Braxton “Brax” Pierce on T1’s VALORANT lineup.
AZK has been active in professional Counter-Strike since the Source era, when he won numerous events with Team Dynamic. Larivière signed with iBUYPOWER shortly after Global Offensive took off, which quickly became known as one of the best teams in North America. Alongside Brax, AZK won the ESEA Global Finals Season 15 and CEVO Professional Season 4, and competed in three CS:GO Majors.
In January of 2015, a match-fixing scandal resulted in AZK, Brax, and most of the iBUYPOWER roster getting permanently banned from competing in CS:GO events. The team was eventually unbanned by some independent tournament organizers like ESL and DreamHack, but they remain banned from playing any Valve-sponsored events, including Majors.
Since the ban, AZK has competed in high-level Overwatch with Team Liquid and returned to Counter-Strike for eligible tournaments. He has also taken on a more consistent streaming schedule, broadcasting his CS:GO, Overwatch, and now VALORANT gameplay to his 27,000 followers.
Riot Games’ VALORANT is a competitive 5v5 first-person tactical shooter similar to CS:GO. The game’s esports potential has been built up by excited fans and experienced players alike. VALORANT’s closed beta went live earlier this week, with a full game release expected to come sometime this summer.
