The new Incarnati0n
Riot·5/21/2015, 10:12:14 PM·5 votes·69,625 views
With a new Split comes new stars and new stories. Here is one of the players you should look out for in Summer 2015!
Team: Cloud9
Region: North America
Position: Mid
However, after the original ruling, Riot revised its suspension policy to only ban accounts, and not individuals, so while Incarnati0n's original account was out of the question, the player himself was allowed back in the game. And given his skill level, it wasn't long before Incarnati0n had returned to the upper echelon of high-level play.
During this time, his in-game behavior was closely tracked by teams within Riot to see if he was truly on the path to reform. And, over time, his in-game toxicity dropped considerably, and he stopped partaking in behavior that violated the codes he was required to obey.
But it took many more months before Incarnati0n's behavior could be considered up to snuff -- the standards that Incarnati0n had to meet were especially high after his indefinite suspension. His last major violation was in Q1 2014, but even before then, Incarnati0n had considerably improved his behavior towards other players. It seemed his desire to become a better person was sincere.
As time went on, Incarnati0n became afraid that his skills would deteriorate before he ever got a chance to play. "I asked myself: Had I already spent my peak as a player banned?" Riot Games Esports eventually changed it's permaban policy on the basis that bans should be a basis for reform, not just punishment. This opened the window that Incarnati0n might get a chance to compete.
Finally, after over two years, on March 31, 2015, Incarnati0n was unbanned; he'd have a chance to play in the LCS. "When the announcement came that I was finally eligible to play competitive, I was very happy," he said. "If it wouldn't have been this Split, I very likely would have been done playing League of Legends, despite my love for it."
"Nicolaj Jensen has established a consistent record of in-game harassment, abuse, and poor behavior. Worse, however, are the violations in Jensen's gameplay history. On multiple occasions, he has publicly and unapologetically admitted to engaging in a series of DDoS attacks against high-Elo players. As a result...the player behavior team has issued a lifetime ban on Jensen… All future accounts will be permabanned on sight."That was the original ruling of Nicolaj "Incarnati0n" Jensen. But next week, Incarnati0n will feature front and center as the new mid laner for one of North America's premier LCS teams, Cloud9. How did Incarnati0n become a model for reform? And how is he planning on restoring glory and dominance to one of the most beloved teams in the world?
Rock bottom
Incarnati0n was once known as Wizikx or Veigodx as part of Team Solo Mebdi, one of the most hyped teams going into the Season 3 LCS Qualifier. Even back then, Incarnati0n was known as a very skilled player. Of course, he was also known for being one of the most toxic. Prior to the team's debut, two players -- including Incarnati0n -- were permanently banned from The Rift, while another was given a year-long suspension. The team would be unable to compete for a spot in the LCS. "The second I found out about the news, it hit me harder than I thought it would. I felt pretty empty and sad." While the ban on one of League's most destructive players was widely celebrated, Incarnati0n became horrified by what he had inflicted upon himself. "It made me realize how much I actually wanted to play League and to compete," Incarnati0n said. "I knew that being toxic was bad, but I just didn't realize at the time how bad it actually was. At that point I immediately figured I had to change and become a better person not just on the Rift, but also in person."Seeking redemption
Incarnati0n's journey back was not quick, nor easy -- and definitely not glamorous. And it didn't exactly start out on the right foot. "Technically, I wasn't supposed to play the game, but I still did," he said.However, after the original ruling, Riot revised its suspension policy to only ban accounts, and not individuals, so while Incarnati0n's original account was out of the question, the player himself was allowed back in the game. And given his skill level, it wasn't long before Incarnati0n had returned to the upper echelon of high-level play.
During this time, his in-game behavior was closely tracked by teams within Riot to see if he was truly on the path to reform. And, over time, his in-game toxicity dropped considerably, and he stopped partaking in behavior that violated the codes he was required to obey.
But it took many more months before Incarnati0n's behavior could be considered up to snuff -- the standards that Incarnati0n had to meet were especially high after his indefinite suspension. His last major violation was in Q1 2014, but even before then, Incarnati0n had considerably improved his behavior towards other players. It seemed his desire to become a better person was sincere.
As time went on, Incarnati0n became afraid that his skills would deteriorate before he ever got a chance to play. "I asked myself: Had I already spent my peak as a player banned?" Riot Games Esports eventually changed it's permaban policy on the basis that bans should be a basis for reform, not just punishment. This opened the window that Incarnati0n might get a chance to compete.
Finally, after over two years, on March 31, 2015, Incarnati0n was unbanned; he'd have a chance to play in the LCS. "When the announcement came that I was finally eligible to play competitive, I was very happy," he said. "If it wouldn't have been this Split, I very likely would have been done playing League of Legends, despite my love for it."
