The 2023 LCS Summer Split began on Wednesday, June 14, with 100 Thieves in disarray after it was confirmed that the newly signed starting midlaner would be in the first week of the season.
Visa issues have forced former Gen.G mid-lane prospect Lim “Quid” Hyeon-Seung from joining the 100 Thieves’ main roster for the first week of the split. The organization revealed on Wednesday that the 19-year-old will not be able to play.
In his stead, the team’s assistant coach Erlend “Nukeduck” Våtevik Holm, will come in and be their starting mid-laner for the first week of the summer.
This is not the first time that a visa issue will affect an LCS team and could prove to be problematic for many LCS teams who may be looking to begin the season strong.
100 Thieves fell short of the expected performances last spring despite being considered as one of the contenders who will strongly fight for the league after getting two of the region’s most decorated players in history, Bjergsen and Doublelift, onto their team in the offseason.
100Thieves got a 10-8 record which managed to get them into a top-three position in the regular season standings, but it was seen as a disappointment by LCS fans largely due to the fact that the team got just one victory between weeks four and six.
The play-off run was worse as 100T went without winning a series after getting beat by FlyQuest and Golden Guardians in the first round and lower bracket, respectively.
Meanwhile, Bjergsen retired from eSports in the following Mid-season break as 100T were left with a big gap in their roster. Securing Quid’s services would have put an end to all the worries, thanks to his developmental path as a young player with a good amount of experience.
Unfortunately, they now have to stick to Nukeduck, who hasn’t played on-stage since 2022 during his final LEC split with Excel Esports.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu
