Very rarely does a player from the Western League of Legends scene find themselves as a potential import for leagues like China’s LPL or Korea’s LCK, but that was nearly the case this offseason.
According to a report from Brieuc Seeger of Sheep Esports, reigning LCS MVP Jojopyun received a “substantial” offer from Korean League team Liiv SANDBOX this offseason shortly after reaching a verbal agreement with Cloud9 on Nov. 3.
Jojopyun has reportedly been in talks with Cloud9 this offseason, with both parties being linked to each other dating back to even before the World Championship. And despite a verbal agreement, the big contract offer from SANDBOX nearly upended C9’s free-agent acquisition. But according to Seeger’s report, C9 restructured its offer and reportedly won the bidding war for Jojopyun, who will soon officially become the LCS team’s next starting mid laner, according to Sheep Esports.
Although no announcement from Cloud9 has been made at this time, reports have indicated that Jojopyun will be leaving Evil Geniuses this offseason and taking his talents to C9. Jojopyun has been the cornerstone of EG dating back to his debut in 2022, but with C9 parting ways with their one-year mid laner EMENES earlier this month, it would be a natural fit for the 19-year-old to fill that slot in C9’s lineup.
Jojopyun is coming off the best season of his young career; in addition to an MVP-caliber Summer Split, he nearly carried Evil Geniuses to a potential appearance at the Worlds Qualifying Series, coming just one match away from a date with the international stage.
Jojopyun is currently under contract with Evil Geniuses until the end of the 2024 season, according to the League global contract database, so for C9 to pick him up, that contract will need to be either transferred or terminated once the 2023-24 free agency window opens later this week. Players around the world will be able to sign contracts with teams starting Nov. 21.
