Once the rising star of Korea’s jungle talent, Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong fell off the radar in 2020 on Griffin. However, he’s set to make a return in 2021 — following in the steps of his old teammate Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok and moving to the LPL.
Tarzan’s 2020 has been underwhelming. After breaking out onto the scene with the electric Griffin roster that took the LCK by storm in late-2018 and 2019, he found himself teamless after being demoted back to Challengers Korea for Summer 2020.
However, that doesn’t mean Tarzan the individual is gone forever. He’s taken time off professional play to focus on streaming and improving himself. Now, he’s ready to make his competitive return, but not in Korea.
The Korean jungler announced that he is jumping over the Yellow Sea to join a LPL team in 2021.
“To take on a new challenge and improve myself, I have decided to play in the LPL from 2021. I don’t know how many times I rewrote this sentence, so I hope my determination and sincerity are well delivered,” he said in an October 12 statement.
He will be following in the footsteps of numerous Korean junglers before him, including former Griffin teammate Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok and MSI champion Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, both of whom competed at Worlds 2020.
Tarzan is hoping he can return to his former glory and show the promise he did on the Griffin roster of old.
“I always do my best to show you and the audience great performances. I am able to keep moving forward thanks to you. My fans keep me motivated, and I’d like to take this chance and express my gratitude. I will do my very best in China. Please keep supporting me.”
News) Tarzan said he will be playing at LPL next season. According to sources, Tarzan's new team is LNG. #LoL #LPL .@Tarzan_0823 pic.twitter.com/Xt7cwuLfCb
— FOMOS kenzi (@kenzi131) October 12, 2020
Tarzan is currently rumored to be joining LNG Gaming, who had a disappointing 2020, finishing 16th in Spring and 13th in Summer. They are yet to make any moves in the off-season though, with current jungler Xiong “Xx” Yu-Long signed until the end of 2021.
Tarzan has played 314 professional games since debuting in CK 2017 Spring. This includes a Worlds quarter-finals appearance in 2019, as well as a KeSPA Cup victory over Gen.G in 2018.
Translation Credit: Korizon