Piglet's journey from Solo Queue star to veteran carry

Riot·Feb 4, 2016·2 votes·26,384 views

Team Liquid have been through a period of turbulence. After losing two treasured veterans in Quas and IWDominate, the team was forced to bring in new talent.

After a rough start to the Spring Split, losing their first three games, they’re starting to turn things around. As the new roster begins to rev up, all eyes are on the former World Champion who’s carrying his team through the rocky times ahead: Piglet.

As a young solo queue star in Korea, Gwang-jin “Piglet” Chae avoided arguments with his parents by sneaking out of his house to practice League at local PC Bangs. Despite never playing a game of competitive League of Legends, he still impressed the right people, and Piglet was signed to SKTelecom #2 (which eventually became SKT K).

Piglet had been forced to practice in secret; his solo queue career was marred by arguments with his parents. They didn’t support his dreams of playing on the world stage and making League history -- after all, such a dream seemed wildly unrealistic. When he was signed by SKT, all of that changed. He had the weight, infrastructure, and support of SKT behind him. With some of the best coaching in the world, Piglet would flourish.

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Piglet was joined by household names Faker, Impact, and Bengi. Piglet was supported by ManDu in the bot lane, an older, wiser veteran who clicked so well with the young, brash ADC that he changed his name to PoohManDu. Even though fans would tease that the support sounded like Piglet’s mother, no one could deny their results; the "Hundred Acre Lane" terrorized their opponents.

After SKTelecom #1 dissolved, #2 were bumped up to the top spot. The pressure intensified. Piglet, nicknamed ‘Practice Worm’, was infamous for sleeping just a few hours a night, then powering through a fifteen or sixteen hour practice session every day.

These sacrifices paid off. SKTelecom T1 qualified as the third seed for the Season 3 World Championship. They dropped only a single game in Groups to Chinese team OMG, survived a hair raising 3-2 set against NaJin Black Sword, and then met Royal Club in the Finals. Their final bout was a decisive 3-0 victory, and the team walked away with their first World Championship.

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Piglet and SKTelecom T1 weren’t content to stop there. Fresh off their win at Worlds, they swept the entirety of Champions Winter with a 15-0 record, including taking Samsung Galaxy Ozone to the mat in a 3-0 victory in one of the most dominant displays of professional League in the history of the sport.

Despite the guidance of his support and this string of incredible victories, Piglet still struggled occasionally; the young player nearly quit after experiencing the harsh coaching style of Jung-gyun “kkOma” Kim. He wasn’t afraid to trash talk other carries, and found himself embroiled in rivalries with other ADCs. He’d occasionally lash out in Solo Queue. He would sometimes speak of feeling depressed, wanting to contribute more to the team’s victory.

If the story had ended here, if the screen faded to black and credits rolled, it’s possible that Piglet would have gone down in League history as one of the best ADCs of all time -- a true legend (if an occasionally volatile one). But time marched on, and SKTelecom stumbled, experiencing a few key losses and a down season. It wasn’t a surprise when Piglet was released from SKTelecom, and all eyes were on the World Champion ADC, wondering where he would go next.

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After a period of uncertainty, the headline came out that would shock the League watching world: Piglet was coming to North America, signing up with perennial 4th place fan favourites Team Curse, which would soon transition into Team Liquid. There were few celebrations; instead, fans were mostly voicing doubts. Had Piglet traded a World Championship team for a 4th place finish in North America?

At first it seemed like these doubts might come true. Piglet experienced visa issues, and substitute Keith took his place for the first week. Visa issues and substitutions are common in the LCS, but Liquid’s 2-0 record in the first week was a surprise. Even more surprising was Piglet’s record upon taking his rightful place on the roster. Liquid went 2-4 in Weeks 2 through 4, and in a move that shocked and enraged fans, Piglet was temporarily benched. Fans speculated on what had happened, whether Piglet would return, and what was next for the World Champion.

Those fans breathed a sigh of relief when Piglet returned to Team Liquid’s roster, playing out the rest of the season. The team built momentum, finally breaking the 4th place curse and finishing 3rd that spring. The next season they eclipsed that goal, finishing 1st in the Summer Regular Season.

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The victory of breaking the curse wasn’t enough for Piglet; he began to build confidence in his new team, stating that his goal was to go to Worlds. Liquid almost made it, making it through the gauntlet to face off against Cloud9. It ended with a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat, and while Cloud9’s success was hailed as a Cinderella story, Piglet found himself sobbing into his keyboard.

Rumours flew, and people wondered if Piglet would try to find a fresh start. Instead, he’s buckling down and staying with Team Liquid and their new roster. The ADC and World Champion may have finally found the stability that has eluded him since his days on the Hundred Acre Lane came to an end. Team Liquid’s new roster includes a new support, jungler, and top lane. Piglet is maintaining his fast friendship with mid laner Fenix, but more importantly, he’s backed up by a coaching team that he can trust: specifically, TSM’s former coach Locodoco.

“Some people think that Loco and I aren’t very close or we don’t like each other,” Piglet admits. “That’s not true. We do behave that way sometimes but we’re always friendly.” The coach and the ADC have more than just a cordial relationship; Locodoco understands how the World Champion plays best on the Rift, and enables him.

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“Last Season I had a hard time trusting in my coach,” Piglet admits. But with a new coach, and a new support, things are starting to turn around. “Compared to the other supports [I’ve played with], I think [Matt] is a bit smarter, he’s a lot more vocal, and he accepts when he makes mistakes and his flaws. That’s why I think he is able to grow and develop to be a better player in the future.”

With a young support full of potential at his side, and a coach he can trust at his back, Piglet is turning in killer performances on the Rift. When playing against Echo Fox, Team Liquid was down 11 kills, having yet to score a single kill that game. Every eye was on Piglet, farming the bottom lane, refusing to give up a death to his opponents. Late game, he tore through Echo Fox and turned what seemed to be a lost game around. “I just kept hope. I hoped that with this one game, if we win this game, we’ll win the next one.”

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And so they did. Team Liquid took both of their games the next week on the Rift, including a dominant performance against NRG’s impressive roster. Piglet remains humble, thanking his coach for their successes: “I think I lost my style before, when I first joined Liquid, because I didn't trust in my coach or say what I was thinking because I didn't speak English very well. But now, with Loco as my coach, and now that I've transitioned to America better, I've really regained my identity and style. I'm happy now.”

Piglet is now keeping his eyes on the future, secure and confident in his team and his position in the LCS. “I really have faith in our entire ten man roster -- especially the five that are starting. We really listen to what Loco has to say, and we have three members on our starting roster that are rookies. If we all listen to Loco, work hard, listen hard, I think we can take Spring and Summer too. With this roster, we can take the LCS.”

24 Comments

Sycksh1tFeb 4, 20165 votes

Piglet may not be from NA but he is the best ADC in NA. Keep it up Piglet, eventually they might get a team together of equal skill without you having to go back to korea. Put Bjergsen Piglet Huni aphromoo and if they still need a shot caller throw Hai in lol...Win worlds. Otherwise fill the jungle with Spirit or kikis..not a huge fan of reignover but I'm getting there. Anyways good luck to piglet and TL

Humble PiFeb 4, 20163 votes

Piglet is a toxic player and always has been that's why so many supports turned Liquid down. He and Fenix drove away Liquids best player in Quas and a solid support in Xpecial. I look forward to the liquid relegation. Two arrogant Koreans coming to NA and claiming they will destroy everyone because they are Korean, Plz

LVitaSigmaFeb 4, 20161 votes

What are you talking about? That is wrong. It just turned out that piglet and Xpecial didn't share the same passion about going to Worlds.(no offence to Xpecial though, he is a great player)

coeurloyalFeb 4, 20161 votes

I don't think that's true at all. I have a hard time believing that there's a single pro league player that doesn't want to go to Worlds more than anything. I think Piglet spent a lot of time questioning Xpecial's performance, so they looked to bring in a talent that meshed with him a little better. Xpecial also had the impression that Piglet didn't like him as a person, so there had to be some tension there that the coaching staff was looking to relieve.

I Am MagicianFeb 9, 20161 votes

When a co-worker isn't pulling their weight it's pretty natural to start having a distaste for them in general... Especially imagining you had to live with your coworker. I'd bet he doesn't have anything personal against Xpecial but professionally he has some legit criticism and their worlds are one in the same you work and live with your team... So I'm sure it can feel personal that way.

Sycksh1tFeb 4, 201612 votes

There is a difference between toxic and being extremely passionate about winning.  Piglet is playing above and beyond most pros atm, exspecially in NA.  Losing big games brings him to tears because he cares that much.  He wants to win yes and he wants to bring a world championship to NA.  You cant expect to bring elite players from korea in and not have conflicts with people who aren't as devoted to the sport as they are.   Piglet isn't forgiven he doesn't just blame others,  he reflects on his own play.  He wants players as close to his own skill level as he can get.  If he doesn't like his support hes just like any QB in the NFL that wants a new receiver so they can win.  Its not considered toxic then is it?   Anyways its a fine line and I just don't feel that piglet is toxic.  He seems to be trying to work with whoever he can to accomplish his goals...cant blame him for preferring that to be the best player possible for the job.

DREADN0UGHTFeb 9, 20161 votes

Meanwhile Travis and Loco had and interview where Loco specifically mentioned how working with Piglet was straining at the begining cuz Piglet was obnoxious.

kaminokotobaFeb 11, 20161 votes

One huge reason Immortals is doing so well right now is that they have been consistently staying positive before and after every game. Piglet does not seem to do that, he seems to look at more of what he doesn't have than what he does. Psychology does a surprising amount in team-centered games.

DhornnFeb 5, 20165 votes

Quas had his own issues to deal with it. Someone with a demeanor like Quas is not normal, you can tell that man has issues. And Xpecial? Ha, that dude was just burnt out and didnt want to play anymore. I would too after being so many years on TSM, then a few years on Curse, then more on TL, all without winning worlds. Yeah I'd say "Fuck this game" at that point.

coeurloyalFeb 9, 20162 votes

...and yet he's signed on with a Challenger squad? Where are people getting the impression that he didn't want to go to Worlds?

MystletaynnFeb 6, 20165 votes

Xpecial is the toxic one, not Piglet.

I Am MagicianFeb 9, 20163 votes

That's why Xpecial couldn't find a team... Cause he's so solid. That's why he was benched from TSM and now benched from Liquid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo9PU4XmvNc Under pressure Xpecial fails miserably time and again. I wish it wasn't so, he seems like a cool dude, but he consistently falters when it matters most.

coeurloyalFeb 9, 20161 votes

Every player fails under pressure on a constant basis. Xpecial and TSM parted because he and Regi had conflicting personalities that led to a lot of 'attitude problems'. Xpecial performed just as well as the rest of the Liquid squad; they failed as a team because they didn't play their comps properly against C9 and they lost the pick/ban phase in two of their games. They also had some shotcalling issues just like 90% of pro teams have, as well. Pinpointing Xpecial as an underperformer doesn't make sense when everybody but Piglet had middle of the pack stats.

SloreDemonFeb 4, 20163 votes

Please don't cite that TL vs Echo Fox game as a display of his return to glory. That game was disgusting to watch. Liquid gets smashed by a bunch of rookies and only manages to turtle out and win because rookie teams are notoriously bad at closing out games. Echo Fox, already being a rookie team and having 3 subs thrown into the roster, was essentially a fetus. No credit goes to piglet or TL for that 1.

DhornnFeb 5, 20163 votes

Those rookies are in a pro team, which have a higher level caliber of play and undoubtdebly can single handedly beat you at the game. On top of that, many more pro players have also struggled with closing out games. You, on the other hand.... cant even get yourself out of Silver.

Sky of SmilesFeb 4, 20162 votes

Piglet in a good team? He gave it up when he left SKT because he thought he was better than Faker.

Maybe its not 100% his team members. Its all about team work. Some peoples style works well with him. Some work better with others. Piglet doesn't seem to adopt to his team and whats needed. More like vice versa.

LRM GuardianFeb 11, 20161 votes

While we all know that faker is a better player Piglet is the one who carried SKT into worlds in the first place with his vayne play. So at one point it's easy to understand where piglet is coming from.

mokinono45Feb 6, 20162 votes

Piglet FIGHTING! The only reason I watch TL games is Piglets, huge fan here and I hope he carries hard this season! :)

Pancakes45Feb 6, 20162 votes

"two treasured veterans" ARE YOU FORGETTING SOMEONE?! R.I.P. XSpecial item 3070

FrankerXFeb 4, 20161 votes

as someone from euw i feel piglet. due to korea and eu just scaming their players by paying them like shit so that it almost forces you to go to na where your talent is wasted :/

Sycksh1tFeb 4, 20164 votes

I agree with the comment on Korea not paying much but EU would be no better place to go right now than NA. NA and EU have been so close for long time its back and forth in which is stronger...Yes EU was stronger last year up till worlds, now a lot of there talent that they recruited outside of eu plus some home talent has left. Right now I would say NA is stronger which should be obvious by how the matches have been going, Its a real entertaining region to watch atm. So yea mister high and mighty I think piglets talent will be put to better use here then EU atm.

LauchmelderFeb 4, 20162 votes

Entertaining yes. However, he didn't base his comment on the talent aspect(sure, he had that EU>NA comment that kinda invalidated what he wanted to say).

What he was basically trying to say was that in EU (and apparently Korea) you don't really get paid well. From what I heard the best paying Team in EU (Fnatic) pays worse than the worst paying team in NA. And if I was a pro I would switch to NA from EU too. In the case of Esports the EU citizens are years behind NA. If you try to become a pro in EU you will be laughed at and told to get a real Job from a ton of people. So in this aspect -> NA>EU

FrankerXFeb 4, 20161 votes

yea thats what i wanted to say. with the eu>na joke ofc to start a little war :D

Intrinsic ValueFeb 16, 20161 votes

Idk.. After watching Liquid lose to TSM, Renegades, Clg and barely beating a thrown together roster of Echo Fox its safe to say they need a season to get adjusted to their new lineup. Even after a season or so i cant imagine Liquid beating Immortals, CLG or TSM when they seems to be struggling with middle of the pack teams. Lourlo seems to be the weakness for Liquid as of now, and other teams are exposing it with ease.