Homecoming Kings: Return to Korea
Riot·12/16/2014, 7:35:10 PM·0 votes·8,787 views
It’s the preseason in Korea, and many players like PraY are making their return to the professional scene after spending some time away. These players have spent their time in different ways since their departure from the scene - some in solo queue, and some overseas. With the recent news of a more stable competitive circuit in Korea, however, PraY and others like him are making their way home to compete.
Where he was: Xenics Storm
Where he is now: SK Telecom T1
While Wraith moved from SKT T1 to Samsung, Piccaboo did the opposite. Piccaboo made a name for himself in OGN Winter 2013-14 with Xenics Storm as he paid multiple visits to the enemy mid lane as early as Level 2, leaving his partner Roh “Arrow” Dong-hyun to farm on his own. His aggressive roaming led many to speculate how much of an impact he would have on a top-level team.
Now that he’s made it to SKT T1, he hasn’t excited the hearts of fans as much as he did on Chunnam Techno University or Xenics Storm. But there might be some potential down the line for Piccaboo to still have his big break. Though as long as teammate Lee “Wolf” Jae-wan continues performing consistently, Piccaboo may have to sit on the bench for another season.
The chance to start on the illustrious SKT T1 may be just the motivation Piccaboo needs to work harder, and that is exactly what coach Kim “kKoma” Jung-gyun is looking for.
Where he was: NaJin Black Sword
Where he is now: Jin Air Green Wings
Continuing the trend of appropriately-named players (it can’t be a coincidence that guys called Fly, Radar, Cpt Jack and Pilot all played for an airline), Jin Air recruited Winged upon his return to Korea, as a substitute for up-and-coming jungler Lee “Chaser” Sang-hyun.
Winged returned home after some reasonably successful months with Brazilian team Keyd Stars, and retains the special honor of being one of the first Korean players to move overseas. During his time in Brazil, Winged consistently dominated the solo queue ladder and shaped the jungle metagame in Brazil for the better (as seen in Daniel “Danagorn” Drummond’s spectacular performance against Alliance at Worlds).
The jury is still out on whether Winged will be a positive influence on Korea’s jungle, however. Though he was personally recommended to Keyd at the advice of NaJin’s coaches, Winged hasn’t impressed so far with the little time he’s had on the preseason stage. There’s still time before the real competition starts, however, and Winged will have to work hard to prove he deserves to play at home.
We would like to thank Team SoloMid’s Ham “Lustboy” Jang-sik in his assistance in reaching out to the Korean players.
Kim “PraY” Jong-in
Where he was: NaJin Black Sword Where he is now: HUYA Tigers Far and away the biggest name to re-enter the professional scene in the 2015 pre-season, PraY left NaJin Black Sword back in May, following NaJin e-mFire’s defeat in Masters at the hands of CJ Entus. Despite PraY’s considerable skill and experience, no teams reached out to him after his departure from NaJin. That didn’t get him down though, as he enjoyed a relaxing time out of the spotlight instead. “I never received an offer after I left NaJin. So I spent my time just chilling and playing games other than League,” he remarked. In spite of this, PraY still had a competitive itch in him. In the end, it was a former teammate that gave him the push he needed to get back into playing professionally. HUYA contacted him with an offer to join the Tigers, with one huge drawing point: Shield’s old support, Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyeon. “To be honest, I wanted to be with GorillA. I’m really happy because I’m here to play the big games again.” PraY should be happy, because his performance in the OGN pre-season has been superb for someone who is still shaking off some rust. His synergy with GorillA has been on point, and he is still showing flashes of mechanical genius. “I just went back to playing League in August,” he admitted. “I don’t think I’ve shown my true performance so far. I’m so sorry about that. I’m really trying hard and I hope I can show up this time. And I want to say thanks to all my fans for supporting me! I appreciate it.” If this isn’t his “true performance” than the bot lanes of Korea better start shaking in their boots.Kwon “Wraith” Ji-min
Where he was: SK Telecom T1 K Where he is now: Samsung Galaxy Infamous for changing his name every time he joins a new team (he’s gone from Nike to Loray to IceBear to Wraith to Casper and back to Wraith again), Wraith may have finally found a team where he can flourish. He possesses some of the greatest support mechanics in Korea, but has historically fallen short in the past due to team chemistry issues. A fact most evident during his tenure on SK Telecom T1 K. Though Lee “PoohManDu” Jeong-hyeon eventually reclaimed his spot on the World Championship team, Wraith was not discouraged by his ejection, choosing to continue to hone his skills in solo queue. Months passed and he has now found a new home with Samsung Galaxy - a team of three solo queue talents and two unsuccessful veterans. His play with rising star Lee “Fury” Jin-yong has been anything but unsuccessful, and the two are making a name for themselves as one of Korea’s most promising bot lanes. Wraith is still a relatively green player on a very young team, and synergy takes time to build. Be on the look out, as he might be the newest big support name to come out of Korea.Lee “Piccaboo” Jong-beom
Where he was: Xenics Storm
Where he is now: SK Telecom T1
While Wraith moved from SKT T1 to Samsung, Piccaboo did the opposite. Piccaboo made a name for himself in OGN Winter 2013-14 with Xenics Storm as he paid multiple visits to the enemy mid lane as early as Level 2, leaving his partner Roh “Arrow” Dong-hyun to farm on his own. His aggressive roaming led many to speculate how much of an impact he would have on a top-level team.
Now that he’s made it to SKT T1, he hasn’t excited the hearts of fans as much as he did on Chunnam Techno University or Xenics Storm. But there might be some potential down the line for Piccaboo to still have his big break. Though as long as teammate Lee “Wolf” Jae-wan continues performing consistently, Piccaboo may have to sit on the bench for another season.
The chance to start on the illustrious SKT T1 may be just the motivation Piccaboo needs to work harder, and that is exactly what coach Kim “kKoma” Jung-gyun is looking for.
Park “Winged” Tae-jin
Where he was: NaJin Black Sword
Where he is now: Jin Air Green Wings
Continuing the trend of appropriately-named players (it can’t be a coincidence that guys called Fly, Radar, Cpt Jack and Pilot all played for an airline), Jin Air recruited Winged upon his return to Korea, as a substitute for up-and-coming jungler Lee “Chaser” Sang-hyun.
Winged returned home after some reasonably successful months with Brazilian team Keyd Stars, and retains the special honor of being one of the first Korean players to move overseas. During his time in Brazil, Winged consistently dominated the solo queue ladder and shaped the jungle metagame in Brazil for the better (as seen in Daniel “Danagorn” Drummond’s spectacular performance against Alliance at Worlds).
The jury is still out on whether Winged will be a positive influence on Korea’s jungle, however. Though he was personally recommended to Keyd at the advice of NaJin’s coaches, Winged hasn’t impressed so far with the little time he’s had on the preseason stage. There’s still time before the real competition starts, however, and Winged will have to work hard to prove he deserves to play at home.
We would like to thank Team SoloMid’s Ham “Lustboy” Jang-sik in his assistance in reaching out to the Korean players.