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Reignover leaves Immortals, becomes free agent

One of the world’s best junglers is now on the market.

Riot Games

2016 Spring Split NA LCS MVP Yeu-jin “Reignover” Kim has parted ways with Immortals after one season with the team, the team announced on its Facebook page Wednesday.

Tribute to Reignover

After spending 2016 on Immortals as our jungler, Yeujin "Reignover" Kim will be moving on to seek new opportunities. We’d like to thank Reignover for his tireless effort during his time on the team; he was a key member of Immortals as we entered the LCS and competed throughout the Spring and Summer Splits. Our success during the regular season wouldn’t have been possible without him and we wish him nothing but the best with his next professional pursuits. When we first entered the LCS, Reignover was a natural choice for our new roster. He had made a name for himself on Fnatic during their legendary 2015 run, picking up two EU LCS Championships and contributing to an incredible 18-0 record during Summer. From there, Reignover represented Europe at MSI, taking SKT T1 to a five game series in the semifinals. Reignover contributed a stunning amount to Immortals, adding his in-game knowledge and unparalleled mechanics from the jungle. When we first formed the squad, he faced some doubts from fans and analysts. Was his success on Fnatic due to the leadership of Yellowstar and Deilor? Would he be able to stand on his own with a new team? He was able to quickly dispel these doubts, helping to lead Immortals to a 17-1 regular season in NA and dropping only one game to Counter Logic Gaming. We had a similarly dominant regular season in Summer, enjoying a 16-2 record. Not only was Reignover recognized as a skilled player, but he evolved into one of the louder voices on Immortals. He found his voice on the team, contributing to shotcalling and making up a key part of the team’s strategy from the jungle. The world couldn’t help but recognize Reignover’s skill as he was recognized as MVP for the 2016 Spring Split. In Summer, Reignover was celebrated as North America’s top jungler, nominated to the 1st NA LCS All-Pro team with a massive lead over the second place nominee. As we progressed throughout the Spring and Summer Splits, Reignover’s name came up again and again as other teams discussed their gameplan against Immortals. Whether he was playing meta-dominant picks like Gragas or Rek’sai, or pulling out something a little more aggressive like Olaf or Rengar, Reignover always made his mark on the game. We are confident Reignover will continue to succeed in whatever he chooses to pursue next. During his tenure on Immortals, we were honored to work with him as an athlete, and more importantly, as a person. He worked tirelessly on skills beyond just League, including holistic lifestyle, health and nutrition, interpersonal skills, as well as financial planning. Reignover leaves Immortals as a more mature and experienced player, and we know that he’ll be able to use these skills to reach new heights at his next opportunity. We have already started to prepare a strong coaching foundation for the upcoming competitive season, and will continue to make announcements about Immortals’ 2017 League of Legends roster as we gear up for the Spring Split.

Posted by Immortals gg on Wednesday, November 23, 2016

The 21-year-old South Korean first played professionally with Incredible Miracle in Korea from 2013-14, but first made his name while with Fnatic in 2015. The team won back-to-back EU LCS titles, putting together an historic 18-0 Summer Split en route to a Worlds semifinals appearance after a surprise sweep of China’s EDward Gaming in the quarterfinals.

After 2015 Worlds, Reignover and Fnatic top laner Seung-hoon “Huni” Heo departed Fnatic and Europe to come over to North America, where they joined up with a team of veterans on Immortals, a new organization at the time. Immortals burst out of the gate with a 17-1 record in the 2016 Spring Split before a disappointing third-place finish in the playoffs. After a 16-2 Summer Split was good enough for second place in the regular season, Immortals once again dropped to third in the playoffs, missing out on Worlds.

Reignover will undoubtedly be one of the hottest free agents on the market this offseason, as teams scramble to put together rosters before the Spring Split begins in January. Reignover is inarguably one of the best junglers in the region, if not the best, and should field offers from teams around the world.

Reignover is the second departure from Immortals in two days. Support Adrian Ma left the team for Phoenix1 Tuesday.