Pobelter is returning to the LCS in the mid lane for CLG

Olivia Richman Published 19/02/2020

After spending the first half of the LCS Spring Split in 10th place, Counter Logic Gaming have decided to make a big change to their roster.

This weekend, get ready to see Eugene “Pobelter” Park on the LCS Arena stage as CLG’s starting mid laner. The veteran mid laner will be replacing Lee “Crown” Min-ho, who curently has the most deaths and the lowest KDA of any mid laner in the league.

“Starting this weekend, Pobelter will be stepping into the midlane for CLG. We know we have a lot of work to do, but we are not giving up this split. Please support Pobelter and the team this weekend,” CLG tweeted.

Pobelter had spent the first four weeks of the LCS as Team Liquid’s positional coach, a team which he played for in the past. The organization’s owner, Steve Arhancet, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on Pobelter’s transition to CLG.

According to Arhancet, CLG had reached out to Liquid’s management to ask if they could speak with Pobelter about joining their team.

“When Pobelter came on board as a coach for this season, one of the things that we agreed to was that if he had his heart in another place and wanted to play competitive, of course we would do whatever it takes to make it happen,” Arhancet said.

He thanked Pobelter for taking the time to be Liquid’s assistant coach, calling him “amazing” and “incredible.” Arhancet noted he was sad to see him go, but was excited to see him back on the Rift.

Team Liquid’s Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng also congratulated Pobelter on his new role, calling himself a “Eugene Park stan.”

Pobelter’s rough offseason ends

Even though Counter Logic Gaming may not be the most exciting team to take on, there’s no doubt that Pobelter is excited to compete once again.

During the 2019 offseason, the 23-year-old was passed over by multiple teams despite Doublelift calling him a “top-four mid laner.” When he realized he wouldn’t be competing in the 2020 Spring Split, Pobelter said in a TwitLonger that he was “disbelief.”

He made it clear how frustrated he was with the situation, stating that North American teams were making “baffling decisions” by picking “washed up” players and “random imports” he saw worse than himself.

“I thought I could expect a little bit more given my history of success within NA at least, but there was nothing,” he said.

Despite the let down, Pobelter revealed that he was still hoping to play in the LCS and was willing to put in 12-hour days. It looks like Pobelter has finally been given the chance he wanted. Hopefully his passion, determination, and skill will help pull CLG up from last place.

CLG will be taking on the seemingly unstoppable Cloud9 on Saturday.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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