Sin leaves World Elite, Ruo returns to starting jungle
During 2014 LPL Spring, World Elite came in third place during the regular season, just behind OMG and Edward Gaming. They then came in last place in the playoffs after facing both of those teams in the semi-finals and then the third place match.
Before the end of the Spring Split, WE acquired Korean coach Lee "Hiro" Woosuk. One of the first changes he made to the team in the offseason was to import Korean talent in the mid and jungle roles. Noh "Ninja" Geonwoo of Prime Optimus joined the team in the mid lane, and Yeon "Sin" Hyeongmo—previously known as ActScene—in the jungle role. The move to replace Spring Split jungler, Tengyang "Ruo" Tianxia did not surprise many fans, since he had expressed interest in taking a break. The removal of Chen "sukiM" Zhiyuan, a rising mid lane talent, was much more puzzling.
In the summer split, WE came in fifth during the regular season, failing to even attend the playoffs. They had a strong rise to third place and often tied for first with both Edward Gaming and OMG in points. Yet with the rollout of new patches, WE began to fall apart. Their apparent lack of communication shone through, and they were locked out of the playoffs based on game time after tying in points and head-to-head record with LGD Gaming.
Now, WE has announced that Ruo will return to the starting jungle position while Sin leaves. SukiM will not be returning to the team, and Ninja will remain the starting mid laner.
The news was uncovered by a reporter interviewing the team after Ruo appeared on WE's lineup during the NEST games against CSN-馋斯尼.
It is also reported by our source that, during Ruo's stream earlier this week, he was asked by WE to return to the team and accepted. The same offer was extended to sukiM, but WE's Spring Split mid laner declined. Whether WE can recapture the developing synergy that allowed them to succeed toward the end of Spring Split and become a force in LPL in 2015 remains to be seen.