Last weekend, Evil Geniuses defeated defending champions 100 Thieves in the 2022 LCS Spring Split finals and qualified for the upcoming Mid-Season Invitational, where mid laner jojopyun will make his international debut in Busan, South Korea. The EG player is just the fourth native North American mid laner to participate in an international event since 2014.
The other three native NA mid laners who have competed at international events over the past eight years are Pobelter, Damonte, and Hai. The former has the most appearances on the international stage. He played in four editions of the League of Legends World Championship from 2015 to 2018, and also in MSI. Damonte, meanwhile, played at Worlds 2019, while Hai appeared in Worlds 2014. (In 2015, despite qualifying for Worlds, Hai played as a jungler for C9.)
This shows just how much mid-lane talent North American teams import every year and how successful they are in the region. Bjergsen and Jensen, Danish players, are the LCS mid laners with the most appearances at international events, having played in numerous Worlds and MSI events. Other names that have represented NA teams abroad since 2014 include Perkz, Abbedagge, Nisqy, and PowerOfEvil.
Nevertheless, jojopyun is a promising prospect for the future of the NA league. His teammate, Danny, another NA talent, expressed his faith in young NA stars in a post-match conference on April 24, saying that he believes his success will inspire players from the region to follow their dreams.
This article includes affiliate links, which may provide small compensation to Dot Esports.
