Master of None: Dade in China
He was called washed up, old, and unmotivated. His arrival, and subsequent performance, on Masters3 (formerly known as WE Academy) accompanied ridicule and the dubious nickname of "dade's Retirement Home" for his new team.
This is all business as usual for Eo-jin "dade" Bae, who has had rich career of ups and downs, but has never mired in mediocrity. Now his team is once again on the rise as Korea's former general looks to further his legacy.
The Second Rise of "The General" in Korea
Initially scouted by the MVP organization from CJ Entus, dade joined MVP Ozone (later Samsung Galaxy Ozone and then Samsung Galaxy White) as an up and coming mid lane talent. Ozone quickly became one of the top teams in Korea, especially after an upset 2013 Champions Spring victory over the heavily-favored CJ Entus Blaze.
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However, Ozone suffered crushing defeat at both the 2013 World Championship and 2013-14 Champions Winter, causing Samsung Coach Choi to swap dade from Ozone to Blue, bringing Blue's mid, Won-seok "PawN" Heo to Ozone. Dade's reassignment to Samsung Galaxy Blue was widely considered by most a demotion for Ozone's poor results. This was a perspective that dade himself initially shared.
"I don't know what the head coach was thinking at the time, but I was very upset about it." dade said in a 2014 Worlds interview.
It is now considered one of the greatest roster swaps in League of Legends history.
The move revitalized both Samsung teams, leading to 2014 Worlds spots for both teams, and a chance for dade to redeem himself in the international court of public opinion. While Blue fell to their sister team in the semifinals, their teamfighting prowess was widely recognized as some of the best in the world. More crucially, Blue was seen as a key stepping stone for White that prepared the latter team for their own redemption story and 2014 World Championship crown.
You Are Young Men, You Must Be Living
When any sports player leaves their signature team or organization at the perceived end of their career, it's met with some derision. Dade's move to China was no exception. Whispers of his demise came on the heels of Masters3's disappointing 2015 Spring performance. A late-season surge from former sister team WE -- and dade's Samsung Blue jungler, Da-yoon "Spirit" Lee -- knocked M3 out of playoff contention and into the 2014 LPL Summer Qualifier. "Dade's Retirement Home" seemed less like a snide remark and more of a sad reality.
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While on Samsung Galaxy Blue, dade was an instrumental part of their internationally-renowned teamfighting. Loudly barking orders in the heat of the moment, coaches and teammates alike recognized and appreciated dade's commanding nature. While dade often shrugged off the title of "The General" he dominated Blue's comms in teamfights, leading Blue to victory. On a hybrid Chinese and Korean roster, dade seemingly took more of a backseat on Masters3. Once known as the "King of Spring" dade struggled to find footing in 2015 LPL Spring.
Never a thoroughly dominant laner, dade's top performances had always come from his teamfighting and ability to pressure the map while on champions like Twisted Fate. Now in a less-familiar environment, odd quirks -- like counterpicking himself in champion select -- resurfaced in his first Chinese split. While dade had a few strong showings here and there, 2015 Spring did little to silence the accusations of his decline.
Masters of Summer?
Now in 2015 LPL Summer, dade's fortune has reversed once more. Masters3 sits tied for sixth place in China's overall standings, a marked improvement from Spring where they dropped out of playoff contention and into relegation.
A large part of M3's newfound success comes on the back of jungler Ren-Jie "Condi" Xiang. Boasting an impressive 84% kill participation across 34 games, nearly every move that M3 makes goes through Condi.
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With Condi firmly at the helm of M3, dade's poorer performances are fewer and further between. Champion pool questions will forever plague the infamous mid laner -- he still struggles on a few meta picks like Azir -- but dade is both stronger and more consistent this season than last. He has already played the same amount of champions as last split, with 14 games left to play, and his KDA is slowly rising.
More importantly, dade still shows flashes of brilliance, spurring on M3 to teamfight victories, or immediately following up on an initiation from Condi. Frequently fans mention his recent showings as glimpses of "the old dade" or the resurgence of "The General."
In the aforementioned interview at the 2014 World Championship, dade had this to say about his own legacy.
"I want to become a player that can't be left out anytime someone mentions mid laners."
Now dade looks to further prove why he can't be left out of this conversation.
Want to see dade further immortalize his already storied career? Catch the LPL every week on Lolesports.
