League of Legends LCS: 100 Thieves release Huhi

The League of Legends LCS offseason officially began Tuesday night as 100 Thieves released mid laner Huhi.

The professional League of Legends scene can be an incomparably cold and unforgiving place when you aren’t performing to expectations. This was a brutally honest lesson learned after the LCS Spring Split by 100 Thieves mid laner Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun. Or, more accurately now, former 100 Thieves mid laner.

The team made the decision Tuesday night to release huhi from their League of Legends roster following a disappointing Spring Split. The former CLG mid had previously been dropped from the team’s starting roster to their Academy team, replaced by Max “Soligo” Soong for the team’s final six games.

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During the split, huhi was consistently ranked as one of the worst mid laners in the LCS. His 2.6 KDA was the worst of any regular mid laner (though it was better than Soligo‘s 1.4 KDA) in the LCS, along with the worst gold differentials at the 10 and 15-minute marks.

In games where huhi played, 100 Thieves posted a 4-8 record. In those games, huhi had a winning record on only one champion, Ryze, indicating a shallow champion pool. Even when he pulled out his famed pocket pick, Aurelion Sol, 100 Thieves fell and huhi posted a meager 0/1/2 scoreline.

Moving forward, huhi will likely need to settle for a spot on a team’s academy roster unless he decides to seek a spot in another region. The academy teams of Clutch, CLG, and Golden Guardians may be looking for an upgrade to their mid lane. I wouldn’t expect this to be the last we hear of huhi but after this split, he’ll need to regroup and recalibrate his game if he wants another LCS roster spot.

As for replacements, 100 Thieves could certainly go forward with Soligo, or they could look for another domestic mid laner (since Ssumday and Bang already occupy their two import slots). Barring some unexpected roster change to the current LCS mid laners, the best available option would be Goldenglue in C9 Academy. He not only has experience on the LCS stage, but he’s gotten to learn and grow in one of NA’s best organizations.

Where do you think huhi will end up in the Summer Split? Who do you think 100 Thieves should be looking to replace huhi with?