Piglet and Team Liquid May Part Ways
After a disappointing finish and failed qualification bid for the League of Legends World Championship, Team Liquid and its marksman Piglet may part ways, sources close to the team tell the Daily Dot.
The team is currently searching for a potential replacement for Piglet. Liquid co-owner Steve “Liquid112” Arhancet approached European marksman Freeze last week after he expressed interest in moving to North America, according to the Daily Dot. While a decision has not been made, sources say that Freeze is a frontrunner.
Piglet reportedly plans to build his own team in Korea, but details are scarce at this time.
Restructuring for Team Liquid
Piglet’s potential departure adds to Liquid’s ongoing restructuring following the Summer Split. Last week, it was reported that support Alex “Xpecial” Chu had been benched. Additionally, the team lost its coach Peter Zhang, who left to coach Team Liquid Academy on September 7.
Team Liquid’s History with Importing Talent
This wouldn’t be the first time Team Liquid looked to the European region for talent. Last year, the organization nearly signed Greek marksman FORG1VEN. However, after Piglet left SK Telecom T1 K and began searching for a new team, Arhancet and the staff secured his talents by making a trip to Korea.
Unfortunately, Piglet’s addition to the team did not make a difference last season, as Team Liquid failed to qualify for Worlds for the fourth time since its inception in 2011, after a loss to Cloud9 on August 31.
Update Sept. 28, 4pm CT: Team Liquid tweeted that Piglet re-signed with the team on Sept. 21, extending his contract through November 2016.
Team Liquid’s Final Roster
Update Jan. 4, 5pm CT: Team Liquid has announced its final 10-man roster, which includes Piglet. The team will also utilize its Challenger squad, Team Liquid Academy, as substitutes.
Correction: An earlier version of this story indicated that Piglet had formally parted ways with Team Liquid. Despite remarks to the contrary, he re-signed with the team in November.
Editor’s note: Given the temperamental nature of esports signings, we elected to withhold corrections to this story until Team Liquid’s final roster was formally announced.