Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok is a name that once struck terror into the hearts of professional League of Legends players the world over. A mechanically gifted player with astonishing game sense and an unrivalled killer instinct, he was considered the greatest top laner alive by many fans for multiple years.
Recent times have not been as kind to TheShy however, and with his departure from Invictus Gaming, his future is uncertain. Where will the once-legend go next, and what can fans look forward to from this once titan of the game?
TheShy wasn’t always a top player in China. He’s originally from South Korea and first joined a Chinese organization in 2014 when he was signed by team WE as a streamer. TheShy’s insane success in solo queue quickly catapulted him to professional play, where he was quickly snatched by Chinese organization Anarchy.
TheShy eventually found his way to Invictus Gaming 2017, where he would quickly become nothing less than a boogeyman for opponents. This spree of success led to Invictus Gaming’s 2018 Worlds win, China’s first win at the highest level of League of Legends.
Since then, despite a strong performance in 2019’s spring split, TheShy has failed to recapture the next-level dominance that made his name.
Many fans have been hoping to see TheShy return to his home region and compete against South Korean talent in 2022. According to Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang, who can’t seem to stop leaking other pro players’ moves, has said that TheShy won’t be returning to Korea unless his other options fall through.
According to Doinb, TheShy wants to play with a particular player that he’s already good friends with. TheShy would be unable to play with this player should he go to LCK, so DoinB predicts he will stay. In a separate clip, Doinb said that TheShy had been told that returning to LCK would mean LPL teams being unlikely to want to sign him for a return in future.
It seems certain that he will be remaining in China for 2022, but where he decides to go is completely up to him.
He’s not the superstar he once was, but many fans still root for the man that crushed G2’s dreams with a single Aatrox Q. If he stays in the LPL, he will be facing down superteams with the return of Jian “Uzi” Zihao, and reigning champions EDward Gaming.
No matter where he decides to go, this move is an opportunity for TheShy to redeem and reinvent himself in the LPL.
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