During this LoL transfer window which once again promises to be exciting, all eyes were on Faker and his potential retirement. The 26-year-old has finally decided to return for three more seasons at T1, we learned on Monday. Good news for the Korean esports scene, but another star has hung up his gloves. Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon has decided to retire according to Ashley Kang.
The 23-year-old toplaner had clearly launched his career with DWG KIA in 2018. For three seasons, he took the lead and sent his team to the top of the Korean league and then to the Worlds 2020 where he was part of the five-star roster that won the international title, with Canyon or ShowMaker. In view following his record, the player had joined FPX in 2021 in LPL.
[OFFICIAL]
Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon, the former top laner of DWG KIA and FPX, 2020 World Champion, has decided to retire from the professional League of Legends scene.#LCK pic.twitter.com/Z75w6gZHKY
— Ashley Kang (@AshleyKang) November 28, 2022
A season which had certainly allowed him to obtain a new title, this time in LPL, but his career at the Worlds was catastrophic. Dropped by FPX, he had decided to return to DWG KIA after a few months of thinking about his future. Returning to the 2022 Summer Split in Korea, he seemed to be below his fans’ expectations, finishing 4th with his team during the season, and still offering himself a regional final. At Worlds, DWG painfully reached the quarter-finals and then released a large part of its roster, including its top laners.
Rising star of the Korean scene, Nuguri was unfortunately affected by the mental burden during his first visit to Damwon then a heavy physical problem before the Worlds which had led him to the hospital. He seemed never to have returned to his level and probably does not want to hurt himself for the coming season.