FPX Tian is taking a break from competitive LoL due to health reasons

Jan 20, 2021

Reading time: 3 min

FunPlus Phoenix jungler and former world champion Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang recently announced that he will take a break from competitive League of Legends

After beating Rogue Warriors in a 2-0 fashion to start out week three of the 2021 LPL Spring Split, Tian has decided to take a temporary break due to mental strains. According to Tian, the match against Rogue Warriors was one of few matches that he enjoyed since 2019. As of late, Tian has been feeling stress during matches and will now be seeking professional help.

Tian posted on weibo that due to health reasons he decides to take a break from competitive scene for a while. pic.twitter.com/quStRV7GWE

— Ran (@ran_lpl) January 20, 2021

“Yesterday’s 2-0 against RW was one of the few games after 2019 that I actually enjoyed playing,” Tian said in his announcement. “In our last game against EDG, due to pressure, I would suddenly feel unwell.”

It’s still not confirmed how long Tian will be out for but it sounds like it could be for quite a few weeks. To replace Tian during his break, it’s rumored that former eStar Young jungler Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo will step in but that isn’t confirmed. The rumors started after both FPX mid laner Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang and support Liu “Crisp” Qing-Song have been duo queueing with Bo in solo queue.

The break from Tian is announced right after FPX has started to return to shape after a poor 2020 season. The 2019 World Champions didn’t manage to defend its title last year which resulted in a big roster upgrade for the 2021 season. FPX picked up former DWG KIA top laner Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon to add more individual power to the team.

With Tian taking a break, this comeback might be delayed a bit as FPX will have to build up synergy with a completely new jungler.

FPX will play its next game on January 23 against Suning. A new jungler will be announced leading up to that.

Who is Tian in LoL?

Tian is a 20-year-old jungler from China. Tian started his career at Young Miracles in 2017 before joining Suning for the 2018 season where he made his LPL debut. Tian only played a few months for Suning before getting picked up by FunPlus Phoenix who was looking to take the LPL by storm.

During the 2019 season, Tian and FPX crawled their way to the top of the LPL and managed to win the 2019 LPL Summer Split. The success in the LPL was carried on to the 2019 World Championship where FPX won to everyone’s surprise.

What is the FPX 2021 LPL roster?

With changes in the top lane for 2021, FPX is fielding a star-packed roster for the season. Nuguri was without a doubt the strongest top laner in the LCK and will now be looking to continue that dominance in the LPL.