Clutch Gaming announced today that their former mid-laner Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin would be released from the organization. Piglet first started his competitive League of Legends career when he joined SK Telecom T1 K in 2013. Piglet joined Clutch Gaming’s Academy team, as a last resort after not making it into a team, at the end of the 2017 season. He later moved to Clutch Gaming’s main roster for the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split. However, a lackluster performance in the 2019 LCS Spring Split was the deal breaker for the continuation of his role on the team.
Piglet’s League of Legends career
— Dignitas League of Legends (@DignitasLoL) June 15, 2019
Piglet first played on a team with Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong, Bae “Bengi” Seong-woong, and Lee “PoohManDu” Jeong-hyeon. While on the team, SK Telecom T1 took home first place at the Season 3 World Championships. However, the same did not happen during the 2014 season. They were eliminated by NaJin White Shield during the 2014 Korea Regional Finals in a 3-1 matchup. Because of this, both Piglet and PoohManDu were released from the organization.
After leaving the Korean scene, he joined former North American esports organization Team Curse. The team later merged with Team Liquid because of LCS regulations. Piglet stayed with the Team Liquid organization between 2016 and 2017. During this time, he switched between the Team Liquid main roster and their Academy lineup. They achieved a first place finish during the 2015 NA LCS Summer Split but did not make it out of the Regional Finals. However, the team Piglet was on never made it to Worlds and consistently placed below the top three.
After the 2017 season, Piglet joined Clutch Gaming’s Academy team. The team achieved a 7th place finish in the 2018 NA Academy Spring Split. They played slightly better in the Summer Split with a 4th place ending. However, the team ended up losing to FlyQuest Academy in the 2018 NA Academy Summer Playoffs. After this stint, Piglet and support player Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme moved to Clutch Gaming’s main roster.
Piglet in LCS
In a July 2018 interview with Invenglobal, Piglet said, “The NA junglers really don’t know where to gank, dive or get vision.” He later went on to write about how he was disappointed at the fact that he only had an Academy spot on Clutch Gaming. His placement on an Academy team was because of a “failed promise” from one of his former friends. This former friend allegedly discussed Piglet having a potential role on an LCK team, but they failed to follow through. He went on to discuss how he wanted to win another championship before retiring, but he felt regret because results had been lackluster thus far.
In the interview, he later claimed, “If [my LCS team] knew how to use me well, it would have been easy to win. I think no team knew how to use me properly.”
https://twitter.com/FreePiglet_/status/1139958716210401280
Following the Clutch Gaming announcement, Piglet tweeted out that he is now a free agent. It seems he is still interested in pursuing a future career in the competitive League of Legends scene. He has North American residency at the moment as well. Where do you think Piglet will go next? Keep up with all of the latest League of Legends news and content here at Daily Esports.