VIPER Retained by Hanwha Life Esports for One More Year
Park “Viper” Do-hyeon has been confirmed by Hanwha Life Esports to have reached an agreement to remain for another year. Viper initially joined the organization at the end of 2022, after ending a 2-year tenure with EDward Gaming. Alongside (at the time) defending Worlds champions Hwang “Kingen” Seong-hoon and Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo, as well as former champion Kim “Clid” Tae-min.
Having suffered embarrassing performances in recent years, Hanwha Life had sought to create a super team, investing a large sum to recruit some of League’s most promising talent. A team with FOUR Worlds winners is about as stacked as they come.
Superstar Talent
Viper is easily considered on the best players in the worlds in the AD Carry role. His mechanics and achievements over the years has netted him a fair bit of attention. Hanwha Life managing to secure him for another year is a massive bit of news that will go a long way towards securing their 2024 season.
Unsatisfactory Year
Despite the sheer talent in this roster, they were unable to properly deliver consistent results. In the Spring, they placed 5th, finishing 4th in the Spring Playoffs. Then, in Summer, they initially ended 3rd, finishing 4th in the Summer Playoffs. A fairly strong year for an ordinary LCK team.
However, this was no ordinary roster. Much like JD Gaming and Gen.G, this was a roster constructed to win. Otherwise, the upkeep cost simply cannot be justified.
Unconfirmed 2024
While the results were unsatisfactory, they were also not wholly disappointing. Moreover, as the year went on, there was some promise showing. The fate of the rest of the roster, barring Viper is currently unknown.
Because of Clid leaving the roster midway through the year, “Grizzly” was brought in to play. The rest of the roster has their contracts expiring on the 20th of November.
Hanwha Life Esports 2024 LCK Roster:
- Top Lane: ?
- Jungle: Jo “Grizzly” Seung-hoon [Expires in 2025]
- Mid Lane: ?
- AD Carry: Park “Viper” Do-hyeon
- Support: ?
Featured Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
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