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It has been almost a month since League of Legends Worlds 2023 concluded. T1 defeated Weibo Gaming (WBG) on home soil in Korea and lifted its fourth title, becoming the most successful organization and team in League of Legends esports history.
Now, one of the biggest names in the esport — Weibo Gaming top laner Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok — announced that he would be taking a break from pro play at the start of the 2024 competitive year.
The pro player made the announcement on his Weibo handle, taking the fans by surprise.
TheShy Announces Break from Pro Play in 2024 Start
The Korean top laner was one of the crucial members of Weibo Gaming and its run at Worlds 2023, where it finished as the runner up. The team qualified for the year-end tournament in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) as the fourth seed and had a dominant form at Worlds 2023.
Unfortunately, it was in the grand finals that TheShy and his teammates were dominated by T1. Following this defeat, TheShy's hopes of winning his second title was shattered. Notably, he last won Worlds and lifted the coveted Summoner's Cup with Invictus Gaming (iG) in 2018.
On Weibo, TheShy wrote a heartfelt statement. He recalled the two glorious years he spent with Weibo Gaming in 2022 and 2023 and that he was very grateful to the organization and the opportunities that it offered.
He said, "I originally wanted to achieve better results with my teammates in this World Championship, but the results were not that ideal. I feel like I didn't perform well enough and I feel guilty."
As a result, TheShy noted that he wanted to take a break and use this hiatus to take care of and adjust his physical and mental health and state. He added, "If given the chance, I will try my best to meet you with a new look in the summer split."
In his statement, TheShy thanked all Weibo Gaming staff, his teammates, and coaches.
Numerous fans expressed their sadness with TheShy's announcement but still wished him well. Marc "Caedrel" Lamont, one of the biggest fans of the top laner, simply tweeted a photo of the popular Twitch emote "o7," as a mark of respect towards TheShy. He wrote, "Farewell. I know you will come back. You wouldn't just leave me like this."
Meanwhile, former pro player and co-streamer Christian "IWillDominate" Rivera wrote, "TheShy just had the tournament of his life => ran it down in finals => dipped from pro play. Classic TheShy."
Currently, the players on the active roster of Weibo Gaming for 2024 LPL are as follows:
Top: Zhu "Zdz" De-Zhang
Jungle: Peng "Xiaohao" Hao
Mid: Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao
Carry: Wang "Light" Guang-Yu
Support: Liu "Crisp" Qing-Song
