EG parts ways with LCS head coach Irean

The team failed to reach Worlds this year.
Photo via Riot Games

Following a disappointing end to the 2020 League of Legends season, Evil Geniuses has decided to move on from head coach Heo “Irean” Yeong-cheol. This marks the end of Irean’s second stint with a North American team.

Recommended Videos

EG made a return to the LCS at the start of the year by acquiring the spot from Echo Fox. The org also made some big splashes during that offseason, signing Bang, Svenskeren, Zeyzal, and Jiizuke. EG also signed Irean as its head coach fresh off a year with CLG.

The team stamped their mark on the LCS by finishing in second place during the 2020 Spring Split but failed to get past FlyQuest in the playoffs. The following season, the team ran into roster cohesion issues that caused them to drop to sixth place in the regular season standings. Once again, they were eliminated in the playoffs, this time by C9.

After these disappointing results, it was clear that some changes had to be made. For the amount of resources that must have been pooled into EG’s coaching staff and roster, a sixth-place finish with an early playoff exit likely wasn’t acceptable to the org.

Related: Cloud9 reportedly moving top laner Fudge to starting LCS lineup, Reignover to head coach

No roster moves have been confirmed yet, but Irean’s departure could mark the start of some bigger changes for the team. There have been some question marks surrounding the team’s mid lane, for example, with the presence of both Jiizuke and Goldenglue—the latter replaced the former for the last few weeks of the split.

Once the 2020 offseason is fully underway, we might see some major moves incoming for EG and many of NA’s rosters ahead of next year.


Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article LoL fans claim struggling Galio ‘has no point’ anymore—but Riot totally disagrees
Galio's splash art in League of Legends
Read Article CEO of former TSM, LCS sponsor FTX sentenced to 25 years in jail
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sporting a TSM jersey.
Read Article Phreak sparks debate around LoL laners’ lack of ‘appreciation for what jungling takes’ 
Lee Sin practising Muay Thay.
Related Content
Read Article LoL fans claim struggling Galio ‘has no point’ anymore—but Riot totally disagrees
Galio's splash art in League of Legends
Read Article CEO of former TSM, LCS sponsor FTX sentenced to 25 years in jail
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sporting a TSM jersey.
Read Article Phreak sparks debate around LoL laners’ lack of ‘appreciation for what jungling takes’ 
Lee Sin practising Muay Thay.
Author
Tyler Esguerra
Lead League of Legends writer for Dot Esports. Forever an LCS supporter, AD carry main, with more than five years in the industry. Sometimes I like clicking heads in Call of Duty or VALORANT. Creator of the Critical Strike Podcast.