Photo: FlyQuest
2020 is a very mixed year for the American toplaner Solo. He never reached comparable heights during his entire League of Legends career. Two-time LCS runner-up, he also qualified for the Worlds for the first time. The opportunity for him to cross swords with players like Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu or Hung "Karsa" Hao-Hsuan. Used to playing in the academic league (TL Academy, FOX Academy...), he will now be able to say that he has known the very very high level and no one can take that away from him. But despite this successful year, FlyQuest no longer relies on him. The team recruited and established Eric "Licorice" Ritchie, the former Cloud9 player instead. Pushed towards the exit during this transfer window, the veteran is now moving towards a reconversion as a coach. On the networks, he has positioned himself to become a positional coach.
Solo will be 28 next year, an advanced age that surely puts off the majority of teams. Even if he has a lot of experience having traveled the American scene for many years, betting on young wolves seems more reasonable. To make matters worse, during the Worlds, Solo showed real weaknesses. Yes, he was playing against the best in the world, but the basic positioning or reading errors of the game didn't give him much publicity.
Embracing the career of a coach would be a great reconversion. He knows the scene well, its actors and the different structures. It would not also be the first player to pass to the other side. This year, Danish legend Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg has notably become TSM's new head coach. A way like any other to continue to live your passion on a daily basis.
Original content by Léo "Tipsalewo" Lecherbonnier.