The post FlyQuest set to sign former DRX coach Ssong appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>According to the esports global contract database, Ssong’s contract with DRX came to an end a couple of weeks ago. The same holds true for the rest of the Korean esports team’s roster and staff, whose contracts ended in late November.
Against all odds, Ssong and his assistant coach, Lee “Mowgli” Jae-ha, led DRX to victory at the 2022 LoL World Championship, culminating in a five-game win against T1 in the grand finals in San Francisco.
This is not Ssong’s first venture into the LCS. The veteran played as a mid laner in 2012 under the banner of Najin Black Sword and made an appearance at the World Championship that year.
He then went on to coach the ROX Tigers in 2016 and led the team to a summer title in the LCK. The following year, he guided Immortals to their first and only Worlds berth. Ssong continued to coach in North America, working with teams such as TSM, Echo Fox, and CLG, before returning to South Korea to join DRX’s coaching staff prior to the 2021 LCK Spring Split.
FlyQuest have undergone significant changes to their roster and front office. Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith — who previously worked as the general manager of 100 Thieves — has taken over as President and Chief Gaming Officer, while Brian Anderson was recently installed as Chief Executive Officer.
With the recent acquisition by the owner of the National Hockey League��s Florida Panthers, the Viola family, FlyQuest are utilizing their newfound financial resources to rebuild their roster. They decided to part with most of their 2022 roster, which included popular players such as jungler Brandon “Josedeodo” Joel Villegas and mid laner Lo?c “Toucouille” Dubois.
Ahead of the upcoming season, FlyQuest have added some formidable players to their roster, including Bill “Eyla” Nguyen from the Team Liquid Academy. The emerging support player is considered one of the best prospects in the region due to his dominant performances in North America’s amateur ranks.
The mid lane will be occupied by Lee “VicLa” Dae-Kwang, who was named the 2022 LCK Rookie of the Year. Former Liiv SANDBOX AD carry Lee “Prince” Chae-hwan, who has earned LCK All-Pro honors in two of his last three splits, will also be joining the team. The only player retained from the 2022 roster is the Canadian top laner Philip “Philip” Zeng, who was earlier promoted from the organization’s academy roster.
Former Evil Geniuses top laner Jeong “Impact” Eon-young and former TSM jungler Spica are reportedly set to join FlyQuest in the coming days.
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]]>The post Former DRX coach Ssong looking for new LoL team appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>On Thursday, Ssong made public that he was on the lookout for a new organization to join. He also reassured potential teams that he has the zest for another quest to claim the Summoner’s Cup.
“I have confidence to win Worlds again in 2023 with any team if they are desperate to win,” Ssong said on Twitter.
“The new meta in 2023 will require creative but strong draft, which all the players and coaches should discuss and prepare. Please contact me at [email protected].”
The 33-year-old mid laner and coach started his career in early 2013 with the Korean team Najin Black Sword, after which he moved to the KOO Tigers in time for the 2015 LCK Summer, and in 2017 he transitioned into the LCS team Immortals. He went on to coach other North American teams such as TSM, Echo Fox, and Counter Logic Gaming before returning to Korea with DRX in December 2020.
In his debut season in North America, Ssongs was named Coach of the Split during the 2017 NA LCS Summer. In the same event, he led Immortals to a second-place finish after they were defeated 1-3 by TSM in the finals. In addition, the team competed in the 2017 LoL World Championship, but Immortals ended up finishing in a disappointing 14th-16th place.
Several reports suggest that Ssong��s inability to find a new organization despite his unwavering reputation was because while he was leading DRX to their big win in the 2022 Worlds, LCK teams were already overhauling their coaching staffs, hence there are barely any openings in these teams. It is understood that the coach has resorted to accepting lower roles with less pay, yet he still has not reached a deal with any team.
It is unknown what options are left for Ssong. It is probable that a team might bring him in despite having another coach, or else he might take a position with an academy roster.
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]]>The post Counter Logic Gaming release LoL coaches SSONG and Weldon appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>The last few years have not been too kind to CLG and their fans, who’ve had to cope with the downfall of one of the most successful teams in the early years of the professional LoL esports scene.
Since winning the LCS 2016 Spring and making the grand finals of that year’s Mid-Season Invitational, Counter Logic’s quality has decayed to the point where they are now one of the league’s bottom feeders. Things took a promising turn when they finished third in the LCS 2019 Summer regular season and claimed a bronze medal in the playoffs, but 2020 has been an unmitigated disaster.
After losing mid laner Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage to FlyQuest and swapping out support Vincent “Biofrost” Wang for Andy “Smoothie” Ta during the offseason, CLG went on to finish the LCS 2020 Spring in 10th place with a 3-15 record, which marked the worst split in the organisation’s 10-year history.
Things did not turn out much better for Counter Logic in the LCS 2020 Summer. While Smoothie and his crew looked held a 4-2 record early in the piece, it all went down the drain as CLG produced a 1-11 run to end the regular season in ninth place.
Despite their disastrous season, Counter Logic Gaming had a chance to make the playoffs due to the change to an eight-team LCS postseason format. However, they lost the tiebreaker match against Dignitas on Monday, which proved to be the last straw for the team’s management.
While the decision to fire SSONG and Weldon leaves them jobless amid the pandemic, which makes it hard to search for employment abroad, it is difficult to argue against CLG’s decision given how poorly the team has performed this year.
Since Counter Logic Gaming are now eliminated from the race for the LCS playoffs for the second split in a row, they now have plenty of time to consider their options and look at what needs improving ahead of the 2021 season.
Although CLG’s results this split were average at best, there were some positives to take from it. Mid laner Eugene “Pobelter” Park looked decent even though his numbers don’t necessarily show that, while ADC Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes deserves a lot of praise for his standout performances in the first half of the split.
What the next LCS season holds in store for Counter Logic Gaming is anyone’s guess, but we will likely see the North American esports organisation make some major roster and coaching changes in a bid to recapture their former glory.
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