On April 3rd, VKE, led by SofM, achieved a convincing 2-0 victory against GAM. This is seen as a real “earthquake” considering GAM has been the dominating team in the VCS for many recent seasons. Meanwhile, the most notable player from VKE – SofM – played in the Support position, which is not his usual role, after a long break from competitive play. At the same time, SofM helped VKE secure a dominant win despite having taken a long hiatus following his time in the LPL.
Coincidentally, just hours after SofM from VKE defeated GAM, another legend from the LPL region was also preparing to return to competitive play. Specifically, on the evening of April 3rd, Uzi unexpectedly revealed during a livestream that he has detailed plans to compete at the highest level once again. According to Uzi himself, ensuring his health is key to this comeback.
“Every day I maintain a training regimen in ranked like a professional player. I can’t really confirm the exact timing for my return to competitive play. The most important thing is that my health has improved a lot, and I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. The next step is to see if I can maintain my form. That’s the key to my return to competitive play,” Uzi shared on stream.
Another interesting point is that this return to competitive play is not solely Uzi’s effort. The RNG team has also posted about how they are fully supporting Uzi to regain his health and peak performance for a future return. If Uzi truly competes professionally again, RNG might very well be his next destination.
It should be noted that RNG is currently lacking competitive spirit. This team is considered the “king of scrims” in the LPL but their competitive results have been very poor (5 wins – 11 losses, placing 14th in the LPL Spring 2024). Therefore, the return of an experienced player like Uzi (if it happens) could very well help RNG mature and perform better.
Essentially, Uzi’s return to competitive play (if it happens) will attract a lot of attention from the audience to the LPL tournament. This is a very positive signal amidst the noticeable decline in viewership of the LPL tournament during the recent spring season. We hope that Uzi’s upcoming return (if it happens) will lead him to real successes that help the audience forget his previous failures at BLG or EDG.