The Important Victory of a Former World Champion Is a “Double-Edged Sword”
One of the most talked-about topics in recent days is the drama between Scout and his former team, Edward Gaming. The legal troubles surrounding this issue have caused LNG Esports to also be affected, as the “Suzhou Unicorns” now urgently need to find a replacement for Scout in case the former World Champion does not lift his request to ban Scout from leaving the country. According to some information from the League of Legends community databases, LNG has likely chosen Yagao – the Mid Laner currently playing for JD Gaming.
However, this decision by LNG has made two former World Champions prominent names in discussions. First is Rookie – the Mid Laner for Ninjas in Pyjamas and the 2018 World Champion. The other is Ruler – the ADC for JDG and a teammate of Yagao, the 2017 World Champion.
In Rookie’s case, it is truly “ironic” that his most important match in the LPL Summer 2024 playoffs ended up being counterproductive. Although his team ultimately lost and fell to the regional qualifiers, Rookie’s NIP managed to finish the season in 5th – 6th place overall. Because of this, Rookie did not qualify to be selected. Meanwhile, JDG made it to the finals of the regional qualifiers but finished in 7th – 8th place overall. Hence, Yagao met Riot’s requirements.
Another Former World Champion May Also Regret Significantly
In the finals of the regional qualifiers against Weibo Gaming, Ruler was the standout performer, and everyone saw how hard he worked. Notably, in that match, two players who underperformed, even the weakest on the team, were Yagao and Kanavi. The Mid-Jungle duo of JDG could do nothing special against Tarzan – Xiaohu. And when Yagao was chosen, many names mentioned Ruler as a regret for the irony of fate towards him.
But still, Riot and LNG are simply following the rules, and choosing Yagao is a necessity for LNG. The regret probably belongs to Ruler and Rookie, as they both put in the effort on their journeys, but unfortunately, it was beyond their control.