EDward Gaming announces the departure of Uzi and Coach Maokai
Not too long ago, Uzi expressed his desire to stop competing. Today, EDward Gaming officially announced the departure of Jian "Uzi" Zihao.
They also announced the departure of Head Coach Yang "Maokai" Jisong along with the team's asst. manager Jin "Hibari" Xingyu.
In his second innings of professional play, Uzi hasn't had the same success. The former MSI winner struggled to achieve the same height. Since his comeback in the 2022 Spring, Uzi placed 7th-8th with Bilibili Gaming and was benched for the next split.
He spent a year without a team before playing the 2023 Summer split with EDward Gaming. With the team, he placed 5th-6th and missed Worlds 2023 after placing 3rd in the LPL Regional Finals 2023.
After the season, Uzi expressed how he can't compete anymore. The 26-year-old talked about how he has difficulty coping with the practice schedule and level of play; read about it here.
In 2023, He was named among the top 10 LPL players of the decade. If he finalizes his retirement, Uzi will be one of the best players without a Worlds title. It'd be an end to a ten-year-long illustrious career.
The other announcement includes the departure of long-time Head Coach Maokai. Maokai has been the Head Coach since 2020 and helped them secure the Worlds 2021 title.
Maokai's departure must be a big dent in EDG's coaching staff. With FoFo, Meiko and Uzi's departures, the team must secure a Head Coach, an ADC and a support before the upcoming LPL 2024 Spring split's start.
Featured Image Credits: Riot Games
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