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LNG announces departure of Mid Laner Scout
After a tumultuous 2024 period which culminated in a quarterfinals exit at Worlds 2024, Lee “Scout” Ye-chan is taking the plunge once again into free agency. While it is currently not officially known where he will end, the former LNG Mid Laner will undoubtedly spend very little time as a free agent before signing with another roster for the 2025 LPL season.
An Eventful 2024
2024 was an eventful year for Scout, but not for the reasons he would have liked or perhaps even imagined. Having ended a 6-year run with EDward Gaming at the end of 2022, Scout headed for LNG for the 2023 season, where he has remained for the last 2 years.
Unfortunately, for the last 2 years, LNG and Scout have not managed to make it past the quarterfinals of Worlds. Moreover, despite their decent domestic performance, their absence from MSI is also notable and telling - both of the overall level of competition they face in the LPL and the missing piece they still need for international success.
Moreover, shortly after moving to LNG, EDG filed a lawsuit against him for breach of contract. Allegedly he had signed with LNG while still under contract with EDG. The lawsuit’s main effect was truly felt in 2024 when a travel ban also came into effect, grounding Scout and potentially preventing him from attending Worlds 2024.
This was all while LNG was kept in the dark, a tactic Scout and his agency intended to use to play both sides. Either LNG would be pressured when it was revealed that Scout has a travel ban, and be forced to pay a large sum as guarantee for EDG, or EDG would drop it due to public pressure.
While the matter was eventually resolved by Scout managing to raise the money himself with the help of several of his friends and competitors, it is difficult to imagine a world in which LNG would be inclined to keep Scout into this off-season.
Legacy and Ambition
Scout may have already won the World Championship for the LPL in 2021 with EDG. However, he is still considered by many to be one of the best Mid Laners in the LPL and a hot prospect. Despite the controversy he found himself mired in the previous year, some separation of player and person may be in order to continue the LPL’s history of powerful teams.
With multiple LPL organizations reportedly making another bid for star-heavy rosters, it’s easy to envision Scout finding a place amongst the greatest of his region. Only time will tell if Scout can maintain and add to his illustrious legacy, or if he will end as a footnote in the echelons of LPL history.
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Featured Image Credit: Liu Yicun/Riot Games
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