Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw has announced his League of Legends free agency, after leaving rebranded European organisation Astralis, formerly Origen, ahead of the 2021 season.
Destiny played 27 regular season games for Origen over the course of the 2020 LEC season, including the team’s successful Spring campaign when they finished fourth in playoffs.
Shaw, 22, has yet to comment on his free agency beyond his official announcement: “As of today, I’m officially a free agent for 2021. I’m looking to explore my options.”
As of today I’m officially a Free Agent for 2021.
— Mitchell Shaw (@Destinyy) October 1, 2020
I'm looking to explore my options.
Feel free to reach me via DM's or email at
[email protected]
❤️&♻️ are appreciated!
The Australian superstar found himself benched in Week 5 of Summer, with new-signing Jakub “Jactroll” Skurzyński taking Shaw’s place alongside Elias “Upset” Lipp. This proved to be a terrible decision from Origen, who then finished last with a 6–12 record.
Four of the team’s six wins in Summer came with Destiny on the roster.
According to sources close to Snowball Esports, the Week 5 roster swap that saw Shaw sent to the bench was precipitated by one highly-paid star in the roster flexing his authority on the backroom staff. Origen did not make the move based on stage and scrim results.
Destiny now becomes a free agent ahead of the 2021 season, and leaves a burning question on every Oceanic fan’s lips; where does the European-based Aussie superstar head next?
The most obvious answer is North America. LEC teams have shown a strong preference for bringing in young European rookies to fill roster spots, but Destiny will still be hot property on the international player market heading into the new season.
Rumors out of the LCS is that several North American teams are already sniffing around at least two Oceanic stars, but Snowball Esports has yet to confirm whether these include the newly-available Destiny, or perhaps members of the Legacy Esports roster that shocked the world on the World Championship stage in Shanghai over the past two weeks.
It could also include veteran Oceanic bot laner stars Victor “FBI” Huang and Lawrence “Lost” Hui, both of whom only have a year left on their current LCS deals.
Another option for Shaw is to return to the Oceanic Pro League.
This will likely be a second choice for Destiny, who has proven he has what it takes to play on the League of Legends world stage in North America or Europe.
The Australian competition is bracing for another sweeping roster shuffle, however. The OPL player base is littered with contracts ending on November 16, 2020, meaning each org in the league will have the power to rejig their roster for 2021.
If Destiny does choose to return home to the OPL, he will be one of the hottest commodities on offer. The support superstar is a three-time Oceanic champion, after winning twice with the Dire Wolves and once with Mammoth in Split 2 last year.
He made five high-profile international appearances for Oceania, including two trips to Worlds, a run at the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, and a stint with the OPL All-Star team at the International Wildcard event in Melbourne all the way back in 2015.
Destiny also contested the region’s first Rift Rivals campaign back in 2017.
Personally, I’d love to see Destiny given the chance to run it back with long-term ADC partner Calvin “k1ng” Truong. The pair played together for all three aforementioned OPL titles, during season-long stints alongside each other in both 2017 and 2019.
Another option is to pair Destiny with Legacy’s breakout ADC star Quin “Raes” Korebrits, who is already being eyed by a number of North American organisations. Shaw and the OPL’s Kiwi king twice finished as championship runners-up with the Chiefs two years ago.
Snowball Esports will keep you updated on any further developments.
