Busio was frustrated. With only three weeks remaining in the shortened 2023 LCS Summer Split, 100 Thieves had only earned four victories, which were rather shaky at best—a worrying trend for the team if they wanted to qualify for the LCS Championship bracket.
Despite everything he’d learned thus far in his rookie year and all of the preparation he’d been putting in off-stage, the support player took this slump within the team personally. As a player who had spent most of his young career as the leader within his team, he struggled to find his voice when surrounded by veteran LCS talent, making his performances more stiff as he attempted to adjust to game plans that clashed with his outlook of the game.
But a path to the playoffs became a real possibility for 100T in the final weeks of the split as the team appeared to address the communication issues that made closing out winning games a difficult feat. Busio’s mentality on stage began to shift, noting that he was once more able to fully appreciate his spot in the competition—and have a fun time doing so.
“Second split, obviously I had more expectations for myself, but in the middle of the season, I was playing so bad,” Busio told Dot Esports. “It kinda just takes one game where I’m making good calls [to bounce back]… and trying to have a bit more fun in the stage games. [Those] are the opportunity to obviously win and compete, but also for being a bit more loose.”
Related: LCS Summer Split 2023: Scores, standings, and schedule
In a debut year that started with an unexpected Azir support pick to a battle within the LCS Championship bracket, Busio looks back on the last several months fondly. Compared to the Spring Split, Busio felt his performances over the past eight weeks and into the playoff bracket overall were much stronger, having taken the time to fully adjust to the pressures of the main stage. But he still didn’t feel that he was meeting the expectations he had set for himself as one of the former-Academy scene’s most valuable prospects, highlighting the constant grind needed to truly offer what he knows he can bring as new blood within the LCS.
“I’m definitely way more comfortable [on stage], but of course, there’s still improvement,” Busio said. “As I play more, I’ll make better calls, be more of a leader in the game. But looking back at my first LCS game, it’s like a thousand times improvement.”
Over the past several years within the LCS, rookies have taken the opportunity to steal the spotlight for themselves, with players like Jojopyun, Danny, Yeon, and Eyla stepping away from the Academy scene and onto the main LCS stage, becoming notable favorites among fans for their quick success. Though the pool of rookies competing in the 2023 season was rather small, the conversation was ongoing regarding which of these debuting players would have the biggest impact on the scene—both in the immediate and far future.
Ultimately, it was determined that Team Liquid’s ADC Yeon had staked his claim as the most valuable rookie of the year, having stepped onto the LCS stage with an immediate fire that burned strong throughout the year. Busio wasn’t exactly surprised at this announcement, rather using it as a further explanation to himself that he had much work that still needed to be done in the infancy of his career.
“I knew I had a pretty bad showing this split, so if I got [rookie of the year], I’d be like ‘what? This doesn’t really make sense,’” Busio joked. “The past is the past, it is what it is. Improve and get MVP, not most valuable rookie.”
Yet despite not walking out of the Summer Split with that achievement, Busio’s first year in the LCS added a handful of additional accomplishments to what he achieved in his days in amateur and Academy play. Not only did the support player qualify for and compete in both of this year’s playoff brackets, but he successfully performed alongside two of the LCS’ most renowned players, one of which specifically chose to play with him—a fact that continues to drive Busio to be the best version of himself.
Looking back at the past eight months, Busio maintains that he regrets nothing that occurred on stage, from the misplays to the tragic defeats, as they’ve all been experiences for him to learn from. These act as the blueprints for the work the rookie support player is prepared to put in over the coming offseason and into the immediate future of his LCS career, as he’s certain what he showed the world this year wasn’t all he’s capable of.
“I put in maximum effort, but obviously the results aren’t very good,” Busio said. “I’ll have to think about it—how do I wanna change what I’m doing everyday for next season? But definitely something has to change, because I feel like I’m better than what I’m showing.”
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At this time, 100 Thieves has not yet made any changes to its current LCS roster, nor has it announced any plans to do so in the near future. But, as with both splits this year, the organization has shown it is willing to make massive overhauls when necessary in an attempt to once more lift that LCS trophy, something that has remained out of its grasp all year.
This leaves Busio uncertain about his immediate future, though he’s set on continuing his preparation well into the offseason as someone who has both yet to quench his thirst for competitive play and as a general enjoyer of the game that has brought him so many opportunities.
“Of course, I’m still going to be playing solo queue, because I just enjoy playing League,” Busio said. “I need to keep good habits, keep watching pro League when it’s on. I mean I don’t know what’s next, we’ll see.”
The LCS Championship bracket will continue into its final weekend on Aug. 19 and 20, where Cloud9, NRG, and Team Liquid will compete for the title in Newark, New Jersey—with all three of these teams advancing to the World Championship in South Korea later this year.
