Riot Games Korea has announced Bryce “EGym” Paule as the new LCK caster for 2020.
Formerly an OPL caster, EGym is joining the LCK English cast in 2020. EGym joins as the replacement for Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith, who stepped down and joined LCS team 100 Thieves as its League of Legends general manager.
EGym, who had a brief career as a professional player in Australia, joins the LCK English broadcast after making an appearance in the World Championship. EGym casted the World Championship alongside Max “Atlus” Anderson, an LCK caster who also is originally from Australia.
Back in 2019, the LCK opened the application process for anyone interested on taking over PapaSmithy’s position. In the end, the league decided to recruit a proven talent that already worked for Riot Games in the OPL.
OPL talent is taking over in 2020
EGym is not the only Australian moving to another region. In 2020, five players have joined teams in Europe and North America. Top laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami and bot laner Calvin “k1ng” Truong joined Cloud9 Academy. Mid laner Stephen “Triple” Li was recruited by FlyQuest Academy. Support Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw will debut in the LEC with Origen. These four player were part of Mammoth in 2019, the team that represented the OPL in the World Championship.
Mammoth left a lasting impression in the community. The players had a consistent performance and showed the potential to compete against the best teams in the world. All five players from Mammoth were recruited by another team ahead of the 2020 competitive season.
100 Thieves also found an Australian player, mid laner Tommy “ry0ma” Le. At the time of the announcement, 100 Thieves was criticized because of the decision. ry0ma is a fairly unknown player from a minor region that didn’t have the pedigree of the North American mid laners that were on the market. 100 Thieves stood behind ry0ma and are trusting the Australian player to perform in the LCS.
The LCK returns on February 5. The LCS will return on January 25.
