After five years in the professional League of Legends scene, Nuguri has decided to retire . Although his record is not the most impressive in the world, he managed to establish himself as one of the very best at a time when the general level of several teams was exploding . This is probably one of the periods when it was the most difficult to shine on the game, to the point where even Faker seemed to be losing ground against a new generation that was more than promising. A look back at a relatively brief but intense career.
From promising beginnings to supreme coronation
Nuguri made his professional debut in the South Korean challenger league in 2017, playing for I Gaming Star. Despite a rather forgettable overall performance by the team, he was scouted by another team in this league that would go on to become one of the big names in the scene: DAMWON . At Spring Split 2018 the step is too high to take first place in the regular season, then dominated by another team that will upset the LCK: Griffin . In the playoffs, it's a cold shower because the DAMWON lose their match against Ever8Winners , and cannot enter the qualifying tournament. They will get their revenge at the Summer Split , then kick a historic LCK team outside of the elite: the MVPs .
In the spring of 2019 , they manage to qualify for the Spring Split playoffs in an LCK in full revolution: three teams with less than a year of seniority at the highest level (DAMWON, Griffin, SANDBOX) manage to block the way to some top names like KT and Gen.G. After a first victory over the SANDBOX, the team lost in the playoffs against Kingzone Dragon X, the ancestor of the DRX. They finished second in the regular season at Summer , before losing in the playoffs against SKT. The team exacts revenge against Kingzone in Regional Qualifiers, clinching their ticket to Worlds in their first year in the top flight. They manage to reach the quarter-finals , but are stopped by G2 esports , recent winners of MSI.
The Spring Split for the 2020 season is relatively disappointing. The DAMWONs finished fifth in the regular season, and fourth in the playoffs . In the Summer Split the team exploded , finishing first in the regular season and the playoffs , with the addition of an MVP title for Nuguri . During the Worlds , the DAMWON are on another level . They will only lose three rounds during the competition : one against JDG in the group stage, one against G2 Esports in the semi-finals, and the last against Sunning in the final.
Failing health
Only Nuguri begins to have health issues , which affect his performance in Summoner's Rift. Having left for China with FPX , he did not really manage to give the best of himself despite more than decent results (seconds in the Spring and Summer Split 2021). The coup de grace is dealt by its performance at the Worlds , where the team does not manage to cross the pools . Their group was certainly complicated with the presence of the Korean 1 seed DAMWON, the European 3 seed Rogue and C9, who had to go through the Play-In. That was enough for Nuguri to decide to take a break during Spring Split 2022.
He attempted to make his comeback this season during the Summer Split , returning to DAMWON. Despite decent performances , he didn't quite regain his former monster status on the top lane. History repeated itself at Worlds, where Nuguri was playing well but not enough to be considered one of the best current players in his position, and new rumors are circulating about his health. His decision to end his career therefore seems logical. He will still go down in history as one of the key members of one of the teams that allowed the LCK to renew an aging style of play , refocusing on lane domination. Goodbye champion, and thank you for the crazy moments you gave us.
Are you having trouble completing your Paldea Pokédex because you can't find Zorua? Here's where exactly to find it and how to avoid its disguises on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
