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TheShy to Take a Break from Competitive League of Legends
Martin Arévalo-Östberg
Martin Arévalo-Östberg
10 Dec, 2025, 14:11
|Last updated: 10 Dec, 2025, 14:12
One of the biggest names in the history of League of Legends esports, and a legend of the LPL, will be taking a break from competing. According to Invictus Gaming themselves, Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok will be "temporarily stepping away from the competitive stage for the upcoming season."
At the time of writing, Invictus Gaming are yet to announce who will take TheShy's place on the roster.
Is This the End?
The truth is that, as of now, nobody knows how long TheShy's "break" will last. Given that the South Korean player has been competing at the highest level for nearly 9 years now, it does seem possible that this break could lead to TheShy's full-on retirement. Possible, but far from certain.
If that were to be the case, though, then TheShy's final competitive game will have come against none other than Faker and T1 during the opening match of Worlds 2025. It was also the only game that Invictus Gaming got to play at this year's World Championship, given that the two teams were competing for a spot in the Swiss Stage.
It's worth noting that T1 would go on to win Worlds altogether (and make history in the process). If IG had faced anyone other than T1 in the Play-In Stage, then there's simply no telling just how far TheShy and his teammates might have made it at the tournament.
This won't be the first time the player takes a break from the stage. TheShy didn't compete through the entirety of 2024 after deciding to take a break to recover mentally and physically. How long his break will last this time, though, remains to be seen.
An LPL Legend Steps Down
Throughout the years, TheShy has grown to become one of the most beloved players in competitive League of Legends thanks to his unconventional and exciting playstyle and champion pool.
In the LPL, more specifically, TheShy is nothing short of a legend. Though the player is South Korean, TheShy has spent his entire professional career in the Chinese league. What's more, the Top Laner delivered the LPL their first-ever Worlds trophy back in 2018 (with Invictus Gaming, no less).
Whether we one day get to see the player return to the stage or not, TheShy will forever remain one of the most entertaining players the League of Legends scene has ever seen, and one who changed the game for the better.
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Featured image credit: LoL Esports
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