One of the LCS’ best representatives has confirmed that it will be attending the 2022 League of Legends World Championship with a rookie marksman. Evil Geniuses, North America’s third seed, has announced that Academy AD carry Muhammed Hasan “Kaori” Åžentürk will be playing at the event.
The team’s CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson revealed the move on social media, saying that the 21-year-old will be joining the team while the organization “[continues] to support Danny.” The roster has missed the sophomore superstar since he decided to take a step away from professional play after EG’s third-round series against Team Liquid earlier this month.
“It takes a great deal of courage and self-awareness to recognize when the right time is to step away from something you’ve worked so hard at achieving, especially when you care so deeply for this organization and your teammates, in order to focus on mental health,” Jameson said in a statement earlier this month. “Kyle is a part of this family and we will continue to support him in every way possible as he takes time away, and we look forward to welcoming him back when he’s ready.”
The team struggled without Danny’s skillful teamfighting prowess during the 2022 LCS Championship semifinals against 100 Thieves but were still able to battle their way to a well-fought five-game series. They ultimately fell short of their goal of back-to-back championships, but Kaori showed promise in his first LCS appearance, especially with such little practice time with his new teammates.
It’s unknown if Kaori will be EG’s starting ADC for the entirety of Worlds or if Danny will be able to rejoin the roster at some point. Dot Esports has reached out to the team to confirm the status of its roster moving forward and if fans can expect to see Danny during the tournament.
EG will be starting their Worlds 2022 journey on Thursday, Sept. 29, when they kick off the event at the play-in stage in Mexico City.
