Legendary attack-damage carry (ADC) player and pro player for Bilibili Gaming (BLG) Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao has reportedly decided to take a break from pro play ahead of the 2022 Spring Split League of Legends Pro League (LPL) playoffs. Currently, BLG is placed 8th in the standings and has qualified for the playoffs.

Uzi, who is arguably the greatest ADC in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), marked his return to pro play in December 2021 after a break of nearly one-and-a-half years. However, he had to share his role with Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan. Before joining BLG, Uzi had spent most of his career with Royal Never Give Up (RNG).

Mutual decision between Uzi and BLG

According to a Weibo announcement by the organization, which was reported and translated by Hupu Esports, Uzi has taken a temporary break from pro play. The statement in Chinese released by BLG also reportedly stated that this was due to synergy problems in the team and that it was a mutual decision made by both parties.

In the statement (translated), BLG said, “Since Uzi joined BLG, the club and Uzi have been training hard to return to the game in a better competitive state. After the team's continuous attempts to adapt in the spring season, the overall progress has not been satisfactory. After full communication with Uzi, we jointly decided that Uzi will rest for a period of time to adjust his condition.”

BLG added that Uzi’s enthusiasm and perseverance were respected and admired.“He has brought a lot of experience and inspiration to the team over the past few months. Here we apologize to all Uzi fans for disappointing everyone. We will humbly accept everyone's criticism and suggestions and hope that everyone will not believe in all kinds of untrue remarks circulating on the internet,” the statement read.

On Weibo, Uzi also wrote, “Thanks for everyone's concern. I'll take a break. Hope you continue to support BLG.”

This news comes ahead of BLG’s first series in the LPL Spring Split 2022 Playoffs Round 1 on 26th March. At the time of writing, BLG’s opponent has not yet been decided given that the league is closing out its final matches of the regular season. The LPL playoff features the top ten teams and the stage consists of best-of-five (BO5) games.

BLG looked to build a super team in the offseason. It brought Uzi back from retirement, signed Doggo and starred him on the starting roster, and also added Worlds winner Liu "Crisp" Qing-Song to the team. It also brought in reliable players like Chu "FoFo" Chun-Lan, Chen “Breathe” Chen, and Wei “Weiwei” Bo-Han. Unfortunately, the team did not achieve much success on the rift and managed to place in the middle of the pack.

Interestingly, even in the past most of the “super teams” have missed out on the opportunity of being the number one team in the region. The playoffs will make it clear whether BLG can make the last stretch, even without the likes of powerhouse Uzi on the team for backup.

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