Huni announces retirement and is officially retiring from professional play. Read more about his legacy and impact on the LoL scene here.
Huni Announces Retirement From League of Legends
After indefinitely removing himself from TSM’s starting lineup and moving to the coaching position, Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon has officially announced his retirement. Huni, the former top laner for TSM, recently stepped down from the LCS following a recurring wrist injury that impacted his ability to perform. While no further information has been released from Huni or TSM regarding the severity or specifics of the injury, its extent has clearly been enough to warrant his hiatus and subsequent retirement.
Where Will Huni Go Next?
During his short time away from the starting lineup, Huni briefly stepped in as a coach for TSM, with specific emphasis on improving TSM’s prodigious academy top laner Cheng ‘Alex’ “S0ul” Luo. S0ul, who initially replaced Huni during his hiatus, showed promise for the future of TSM.
Although he eventually decided to step down from the starting lineup as well, citing that TSM had a better chance of making the summer playoffs with Solo (an LCS veteran sixth man and member of TSM’s academy roster), S0ul has quickly ascended the ranks to reach the professional scene.
Transitioning from collegiate to academy to professional play in less than a year, the 21 year old has fast-tracked himself into the shoes of one of the LCS’s—and the greater League of Legends scene’s—best top laners.
In his official retirement post, seen here, Huni stated that he “[hopes] to stay around [the] esports industry since [I] haven’t won LCS yet.” Hinting at a potential return to the coaching position and League of Legends scene, he followed with “time to win as a staff maybe.”
A Legendary Legacy
The 24 year old South Korean retires with almost nine years of professional experience under his belt. In his career, Huni has played in the top lane for eight different teams across three different regions. Starting first in the LEC, Huni joined Fnatic when the league was still called EU LCS. Although he only played with the team and in the LEC for just one year, he took Fnatic all the way to place fourth at Worlds 2015.
The following year Huni joined the newly founded Immortals in the LCS alongside famous names Reignover, Pobelter, and WildTurtle. While they did not make it outside of North America, IMT finished first in the spring split and second in the summer split; both times they narrowly missed MSI and Worlds, finishing third in the spring and summer playoffs.
Despite the disappointing season, Huni went on to join T1 (formerly SK Telecom T1) in the LCK where he won MSI 2017 and finished second at Worlds 2017. Despite a successful stint in the LCK, Huni returned to the LCS where he finished his career after playing for four different teams. Joining Echo Fox first, he placed third in the spring playoffs and lost in the quarterfinals of the summer playoffs.
He then left to play for Clutch Gaming where he once again made Worlds. Unfortunately, Clutch became the first North American team to go winless in the Worlds group stage, finishing 0-6. Huni then briefly played for Dignitas and Evil Geniuses before making his way to TSM, where he spent the final two years of his career.
Although he never managed to win an international title or an LCS title, Huni’s influence on the League of Legends scene has been tremendous. His future in the scene remains uncertain, however, he has expressed an interest in coaching.
