Melany M. December 21, 2018
Chinese organization Royal Never Give Up is bringing on Choi "DanDy" In-kyu as its new head coach.
RNG conquered LPL and international stages alike in 2018. After winning the LPL’s spring split, the team went on to win both the Mid-Season Invitational and Rift Rivals.
The Chinese delegation at the Asian Games 2018 featured a League of Legends team consisting mostly of RNG members, who again were victorious after defeating the South Korean team in the event’s finals.
RNG won another LPL split in the summer and attended the World Championship with massive hype behind them. This, however, would prove to be the only title RNG missed out on. The Chinese giants were upset by G2 Esports in the quarterfinals, who then lost to eventual champion Invictus Gaming.
In early December, the team announced that head coach Lee "Heart" Gwan-hyung would be leaving his position with the organization. RNG kept the same roster and recruited former pro player DanDy as its new head coach in time to prepare for the winter edition of the Demacia Cup.
DanDy started his career in 2012 as the support for Korean team SuperStar. He moved to MVP Ozone and became a jungler, the position he would keep for most of his professional career. After a brief time with Samsung White, DanDy joined Vici Gaming in China.
The player-turned-coach played his final season with North America side eUnited in 2017. After some time spent out of the professional spotlight, DanDy returns as head coach of one of the most popular teams in the world.
DanDy will be have high expectations in his coaching debut. RNG’s dominance was nearly complete in 2018, and the team’s fans will expect more of the same in the new year.
The LPL returns on January 14, 2019.