One of the most prominent names in the EU LCS will grace the European stage once more next year for FC Schalke 04 Esports. Konstantinos-Napoleon “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou finished his mandatory military service in his home country Greece a while back. He will join forces with veteran top laner Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu, with whom he played previously in H2K. His signing came after the news of Schalke’s decision to let star bot laner Elias “Upset” Lipp join Origen. FORG1VEN is a polarizing player, especially those who started watching the pro scene in its early years. He became famous for his insane mechanical skill and laning prowess. However, playoff success eluded him for a large part of his career. Fortunately, he managed to qualify for Worlds in 2016 which ended in a semifinal exit against Samsung Galaxy. After a three-season absence, he will return to the stage in Spring 2020.
LCS
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, former OpTic Gaming jungler William “Meteos” Hartman will return to 100 Thieves next season. Meteos was one of the original members of Cloud 9 and spent four whole seasons with the team. He then had a stint in Phoenix 1 before being acquired by 100 Thieves in their inaugural split where they secured a #1 seed in the regular season. However, they lost 3-0 to a reborn Team Liquid squad that would go on to win four straight titles. Shortly after, 100T suddenly him traded him for Andy “AnDa” Hoang to FlyQuest before arriving at Optic Gaming, where he played the entirety of 2019.
LCK/LPL
Lastly, a former World champion announced his retirement from professional League of Legends. Season 4 World Champion Gu “imp” Seung-bin will no longer suit up for the 2020 season. He recently played for JD Gaming, landing a 2nd place finish in Spring 2019. They narrowly missed Worlds after a 2-3 loss against Invictus Gaming in the gauntlet. JD Gaming largely attributed their miracle run to 2nd place in Spring 2019 to imp and would sorely miss his presence. He also played for LGD Gaming and a part of its infamous implosion in Worlds 2015. His rise to stardom came during his time in Samsung Ozone/White, culminating in a Worlds title. Interestingly, his Worlds partner Cho “Mata”Se-hyeong also might retire before the 2020 season and move to a coaching position in the LCK.
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