Alphari (Astralis to Team Liquid)
The transfer of Alphari to North America sent the European and American League of Legends community into a frenzy. Not only was the contract rumored to be worth up to $1 million per year (approximately nearly 23 billion VND) for Alphari, but Team Liquid also had ambitions to create a “dream team” of superstars. Besides aiming for domestic dominance, TL clearly had aspirations for Worlds 2021. Moreover, the 1999-born player was also ready to move to North America.
However, Alphari failed to meet expectations and had to sit on the bench until June 2021. Afterwards, TL faced further difficulties when coach Jatt resigned and Santorin encountered health issues. Although TL still made it to Worlds 2021, they left empty-handed in the domestic league. In Iceland, the team performed no better and was eliminated right after the Main Event group stage ended.
Rekkles (Fnatic to G2 Esports)
The “LEC Super Marksman” Rekkles left FNC after the 2020 season concluded. Perhaps to this day, fans of the first-ever Worlds champion in League of Legends still vividly remember Rekkles’ declaration at the time: “I joined G2 to fulfill my dream of winning Worlds.”.
However, what followed was a joke for FNC fans specifically and the League of Legends community in general. The “national circus” G2, with Rekkles on the roster, was unable to qualify for Worlds for the first time in their history. Not to mention, there were rumors that G2 was “falling apart” as two key players, Caps and Jankos, were dissatisfied with Rekkles. As a result, after the 2021 season concluded, Rekkles surprised everyone by joining Karmine Corp – a team competing in the European second division.
SwordArt (Suning to Team SoloMid)
The 2020 season, especially Worlds 2020, was perhaps the brightest memory in SwordArt’s career when he and SN came close to winning the Worlds championship. Unfortunately for them, DK was too strong at that time. SwordArt then left SN and the LPL to join the prestigious NA team – TSM.
However, this transfer turned out to be quite tumultuous. Firstly, it was said to have caused a rift between Doublelift and TSM owner Reginald Dinh. Next, SwordArt himself did not perform well in the new environment. He could not maintain the form that helped him and his young teammates at SN reach the Worlds finals in 2020. TSM ended the season empty-handed in the domestic league and missed out on Worlds 2021. After a failed season abroad, SwordArt returned to his “old home”, reuniting with former teammates in the new colors of Weibo Gaming and aiming for a more successful season ahead.
Nuguri (DWG KIA to FunPlus Phoenix)
Missing out on Worlds 2020 was unacceptable for FPX, especially after they had just been crowned champions at Worlds 2019. The new signing – Worlds 2020 champion Nuguri – was brought in with hopes of replacing GimGoon and leading the Phoenix to new heights once again.
However, what followed was nothing but disappointment. Nuguri struggled to integrate with his new teammates due to his introverted personality. Doinb, Tian, and others tried to help, but even during practice or regular interactions, Nuguri remained very quiet. His silence inadvertently became one of the reasons why FPX players felt “disconnected”.
As a result, FPX became the first LPL team in history to lose all four matches in the return round of the group stage at Worlds. FPX also made it to the finals of the domestic league twice and left empty-handed. After returning from Iceland, Nuguri announced a break. As for FPX, they disbanded, marking a sad end for the 2019 Worlds champions who were previously top contenders for the Worlds 2021 title just months before.
