DRX Flashback officially announced his retirement from competitive VALORANT in an emotional message to fans and teammates.
On Jan. 8, DRX officially announced the retirement of Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk from professional VALORANT. In a statement posted on his personal account, Flashback apologized to his fans and teammates for what he described as his “poor performance,” while expressing his continued support for DRX and wishing the team success in their future.
DRX Flashback opens up about retirement
The 20-year-old South Korean player has been part of DRX's family since his debut in 2023. However, Flashback's career was anything but easy from the beginning. While he had always expressed how much he loves to compete and play VALORANT, Flashback has struggled with an "ongoing panic disorder," which ended up affecting his career and even led him to be inactive in 2024.
"I will retire as a player here, but I desperately hope that DRX wins it all this year and does well. It makes me so happy that my first team and last team were DRX," he wrote on X. In 2025, Flashback helped the team win the VCT 2025: Pacific Kickoff and achieve third place in the VALORANT Champions Paris tournament.
DRX unveils roster changes
With Flashback's absence, DRX announced some roster changes coming in 2026. To kick off the season, DRX promoted Yoon "Flicker" Tae-hee from the Academy team and signed Ahn "Hermes" Byeong-wook. Hermes has played in South Korean teams since his debut, standing out in 2025 for his two victories on the VALORANT Challenger 2025 Korea: Stage 1 and 2. This will be his first time playing in Tier 1.
The arrival of these two young talents could make DRX an especially interesting team to follow in future competitions. However, bettors should factor in the renewed energy within DRX’s roster before making any decisions on esports betting platforms.
VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff schedule
The VCT 2026: Pacific Kickoff starts on Jan. 22. DRX will be playing against the winner of the ZETA DIVISION vs. FULL SENSE match. You can watch all the matches on the VCT Pacific official YouTube and Twitch channels.
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