Photo: Legacy Esports
When the MVP of the NLC (ERL resulting from the merger between the British league and the Nordic league) was announced, the most mathematicians among us necessarily winced. 12 wins for 2 losses… the ratio is very good, but with “only“14 games in total, the numbers seemed odd given that a ‘normal’ 10-team season logically involves 18 fixtures.
This famous MVP thus missed 4 games. But what makes the story crisp is that his absence was not due to injury, illness or visa issues. The player was simply benched by the team… A decision that seems quite comical: why part with the best player in the league?
EMENES, a rather chaotic journey
It’s Korean Jang”EMENDED“Min-soo who is at the heart of this story. Previously known as the pseudonym Purple, he has a journey like no other. In NCL he signed a full year, being elected MVP at the Spring as at the Summer Split: not bad for a first experience in Europe. His individual skill has burst the screen, but we imagine that internally it was not all rosy… We do not know the exact reasons which pushed the player and JD XL to separate by mutual agreement before the end of the competitive season. But it is assumed that there were quite significant differences of opinion.
Before that, EMENES traveled the world quite a bit. He has performed in Korea, Oceania and Turkey. While he is only 21 years old, he has already had many adventures. Some will say that he lacked the stability to break through to the highest level and impose himself in a top team. It’s not totally untrue, but he’s still young.
JD XL, “catastrophic” results without EMENES
By magnifying the line, one could say that JD XL has not won a single match since the departure of the Korean midlaner. In the regular season, EMENDED left his team in first place in the standings (12-2). Without him and with the unfortunate Adrian “Mrozku” Skonieczny, JD XL lost the remaining 4 games, falling to 2nd place (12-6). Still qualified for the playoffs, the formation however lost its two Bo5s: 2-3 against Dusty then a 0-3 dry against X7 It’s hard to make a more negative spiral and we hope for the Pole that he will raise his head for the next European Masters… He suffers from the comparison and risks getting a good reputation as a loser.
However, the new player should not be overwhelmed. The hole left by EMENES is substantial and we imagine that as a whole, the entire roster must find its marks after the hasty departure of the Korean. While we have the impression of a huge mess, the European scene could well serve as a salvation to find a smile.