While fans are eagerly waiting for the 2023 League of Legends pro season to return, many players have been streaming their solo queue games, including Weibo Gaming top laner TheShy.
But the last thing he expected when broadcasting his game on the Korean server was to get permanently banned after losing a ranked match on Jan. 12.
When returning to the lobby, he was greeted by an account suspension message. Dumbfounded, he tried to reconnect multiple times, not understanding what had happened.
When TheShy understood he wasn’t able to log in again, he cut the broadcast early. His account is still banned today. On OP.GG, it’s listed as a level-one account with an empty game history.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, he was almost certainly banned thanks to a new rule on the Korean server.
Riot Games Korea announced earlier this month that as part of a wide array of measures to improve LCK’s competitive environment, “accounts rented to foreign pros have been suspended.”
Account suspensions started on Dec. 1, 2022, but more waves have been registered since, and rental account suspensions will continue throughout the “first quarter” of the year, according a press release from the LCK.
These account rentals will only be reinstated in the context of bootcamps in Korea. As an LPL player, TheShy was likely using one of those rental accounts and was suspended for this reason.
TheShy’s permanent suspension hasn’t prevented him for returning to Korean solo queue, however. Earlier today, he started a new broadcast and played under another account with a hidden name.
