Although he has officially joined Team Flash and is on the roster for the Ultimate Challenge showmatch, Profit’s ability to compete in the upcoming VCS Summer tournament remains uncertain.
According to insights from industry insiders like commentator Ling Cao Thủ and commentator Hoàng Luân, VCS has never had regulations allowing foreign players to compete. Therefore, Team Flash’s signing of Profit has further confused the gaming community with mixed information.
Recently, Mr. Nguyễn Phương – Director of Team Flash, officially addressed this information. In a statement to the media, Mr. Nguyễn Phương confirmed that Profit would not be able to participate in VCS Summer 2020 as a player due to issues with the regulations regarding foreign players in VCS. Instead, he will contribute his expertise as a member of the coaching staff, aiding in strategy development and evaluating the team’s gameplay.
To illustrate, we can take the example of Mata when he was with SKT T1 in the Summer 2019 tournament. At that time, Effort was the one officially competing, while Mata, although still a player, acted more like an assistant coach alongside kkOma and the SKT coaching staff.
This is understandable, as VCS has never had a precedent for using foreign players, and Profit’s arrival has truly brought significant surprises. Thus, it is not surprising that the regulations concerning the use of foreign players are still not fully developed.
With the statements from Team Flash’s leadership, Profit’s involvement in VCS Summer 2020 will be limited to behind the scenes. However, from a more optimistic perspective, the fact that Team Flash has signed Profit even though he is not yet allowed to compete shows that the team has a long-term plan with the Korean rookie.
Moreover, while Profit’s contract has yet to demonstrate much in terms of expertise, it can still be considered a historic turning point for the development of VCS. The precedent set by Profit is likely to influence the improvement of regulations for foreign players, making VCS a more favorable ground for other League of Legends stars in the future.