A few days ago, on his stream, Doinb – the mid-laner currently with LNG Esports – shared some insights about the future of his former teammate Nuguri. As one of Nuguri’s closest players, Doinb stated that “Nuguri” would have a tough time returning at this moment. The reason given by Doinb is that Nuguri’s transfer fee and salary are too high. Moreover, the former 2020 World Champion has not been practicing for a long time.
However, recently, the League of Legends community noticed Nuguri is trying hard to rank more frequently. In fact, over the last week, Nuguri has played a total of more than 139 ranked games continuously. This means that on average, Nuguri could play 20 ranked games in a day. Assuming an average of 30 minutes per game, not counting the waiting time for matchmaking and drafting which could take another 30 minutes, Nuguri spends about 20 hours a day climbing the Korean ranked ladder.
This is an absolutely staggering performance. It’s worth noting that during Uzi’s preparation for his comeback, the former star of Royal Never Give Up only played up to 101 games per week. Not to mention, Uzi was clearly aware of his new destination to try hard, while so far, there is still no information about Nuguri’s future.
Nevertheless, there is another factor that could shock the League of Legends community. Accordingly, some rumors have surfaced about Nuguri potentially joining Gen.G Esports. This rumor is quite plausible as it is certain that “Nuguri” will not return to the LPL. In the current LCK, a move to T1 seems unlikely given Zeus’s excellent performance. DWG KIA currently faces too many issues, from each player’s form to the overall gameplay strategy.
If he were to join Gen.G, this would be a team that could provide Nuguri with a chance to compete for titles. However, Gen.G currently has a top laner named Doran. If Nuguri decides to make a comeback with this team, he will face competition for the position with the former Griffin star – who, despite being younger, certainly has LCK battle experience that rivals, if not exceeds, Nuguri’s.
But outside of Gen.G, there are almost no teams that can guarantee “Nuguri” both titles and salary. Furthermore, with T1 currently dominating this Spring season, if Nuguri joins Gen.G, it could potentially disrupt Faker and his teammates’ stronghold.
However, of course, the rumors remain just that – rumors. Nuguri or Gen.G has yet to make any moves. It is almost certain that the League of Legends community will have to wait until the end of the LCK Spring 2022 season to see any “blockbuster” announcements.