During the end-of-season 2021 transfer window, the League of Legends scene witnessed some notable comebacks from veterans who seemed to have completely ended their careers, such as Bjergsen and Uzi. However, Uzi struggled immensely to secure a starting position at Bilibili Gaming. As a result, the once “Super Marksman” ended his season just as BLG made it to the playoffs. But it cannot be denied: older players had a pretty good Spring 2022, especially names like Faker, Bjergsen, Rookie…
Recently, there have been reports that veterans like Ning and Icon are also gearing up for a return. In fact, there are rumors that the former 2018 World Champion has found a team and is currently training. Many fans have noted that Ning’s performance is quite solid and he could definitely find a new team in the near future. However, recently on his stream, Doinb bluntly dismissed this idea. According to the mid-laner of LNG Esports, players who are too old or have been away from the game for a long time will find it difficult to make a comeback in the Summer.
“Currently, the LPL market is quite bleak and teams are not generating good income, which affects player salaries. Therefore, most teams are not considering veterans. Compared to players from LDL, the transfer fees and salaries of veteran players are clearly higher. So this Summer, it will be even more challenging for veterans to make a return. Basically, no team wants to take on an older player.” – Doinb stated.
Doinb’s argument is entirely valid. At this time, China is still grappling with the pandemic. Many events in China in general and LPL in particular are being affected by the disease. Therefore, the implementation of austerity policies by teams is not unreasonable. Moreover, most teams have stabilized their rosters. Teams are beginning to establish good connections, and no one dares to risk creating disruptions that could impact their performance in the upcoming Summer tournament.