V1ya returns to Wolves Esports VALORANT roster

Wolves Esports announced the return of Zhang “V1ya” Ruimin to their VALORANT roster on Saturday, July 26, three weeks into VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 China Stage 2.

The returning player joined Wolves Esports in December 2023 as one of the inaugural members of their VALORANT division.

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  Fast Payouts

His stint, however, was short-lived, as he was not included in the VCT lineup and appeared in just two tournaments – the WALL-E Cup and FGC VALORANT Invitational 2024 at the end of the year.

Ahead of the 2025 season, V1ya moved to an inactive position and was replaced by Tyler “juicy” Aeria, who has since kept his spot on Wolves’ starting lineup.

V1ya’s return comes ahead of Wolves Esports’ clash with Dragon Ranger Gaming in the final round of VCT 2025 China Stage 2 Week 3, when V1ya and co. will chase their first victory of the stage.

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  The bookies' bookie

Wolves have not had the best start to the second split, with defeats against FunPlus Phoenix, All Gamers, and XLG Esports, which puts them one loss away from missing the playoffs.

Even though Wolves are in an unenviable position, they are priced at -128.21 with BetOnline to defeat DRG on Sunday, which translates to a 56.2% implied probability.

While a victory on Sunday will keep Wolves in the playoff race, their fate is not entirely in their hands, as they need All Gamers and DRG not to win another game for the rest of the stage.

If the organisation decides to add him straight back into the lineup, the match against Dragon Ranger Gaming on Sunday could mark V1ya’s first official match since November 10, when Wolves Esports lost the FGC VALORANT Invitational 2024 grand finals.