Shortly after its elimination from the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational Play-In, TCL Champion 1907 Fenerbahçe has parted ways with Top Laner Kim "Ruin" Hyeong-min and Jungler Thomas "Kirei" Yuen. Ruin will be joining North American LCS franchise Counter Logic Gaming, while Kirei is headed to LEC franchise Misfits Gaming.
1907 Fenerbahçe entered Round 1 of the 2019 MSI Play-In in Group A and tied for first place with VCS ChampionPhong Vũ Buffalo at a 4-2 record. The ensuing Tie Breaker in front of the Vietnamese crowd ended in hometown heroes Phong Vũ Buffalo qualifying for Round 2 of the Play-In, a best of five series against LCS champion and North American MSI representative Team Liquid.
1907 Fenerbahçe's early exit from the Play-In may have come as a disappointment in an admittedly very stacked Group A, but seeing a domestic champion cut ties with two of its best players mere days after international elimination is unheard of. Turkish esports website Esporin made the initial report, with Kirei's following tweet confirming the roster changes.
In joining Misfits by mutually agreeing to terminate his contract, Kirei will be joining a team currently with a Jungler in Nubar "Maxlore" Sarafian. Despite maintaining his status as an upper-table Jungler in the LEC, Maxlore struggled to find synergy with Mid Laner Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten, and the Misfits super team found itself out of the inaugural LEC Spring Playoffs in 8th place. Misfits may be looking to mix things up and provide roster options should synergistic issues persist.
Ruin's joining of Counter Logic Gaming seems more clear cut. While Darshan "Darshan" Upadhyaya and CLG Academy Top Laner Kevin "FallenBandit" Wu technically split time at the starting position for CLG, Darshan was the clear starter and remained focal point of the team. Unfortunately, the team's performance around that focal point has become less and less impactful, and CLG may be looking for a complete shake-up in playstyle after missing playoffs for the third split in a row.
Darshan was the longest tenured member in Counter Logic Gaming history, and has posted on his twitter that he is now a free agent and looking for offers ahead of the 2019 Summer Split.
Sort by:
Comments :0