SK Telecom T1 Part Ways with Huni and Coaching Staff
SK Telecom T1 announced today that they have parted ways with Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon, along with some members of their coaching staff.
Huni is the third player to leave SKT this off-season, following Han “Peanut” Wang-ho and Kim “Sky” Ha-neul. However, the team has confirmed that talks are ongoing for Huni to be transferred to another team. It is currently unknown whether this team is from the LCK or a foreign league such as the NA LCS.
The Ups and Downs of Huni’s Time at SKT
Huni joined SKT at the end of 2016, and his time with the team has been a roller coaster. During the 2017 Spring Split, he and his teammates dominated the LCK. However, problems arose during the summer when his overly-aggressive playstyle clashed with SKT’s more strategic approach. As a result, Huni was benched for most of the LCK Summer Split. Despite being the sole top laner for SKT at the World Championship, Huni’s individual performance did not significantly improve.
Effort Joins SKT as Substitute Support
In light of Huni’s departure, SKT has signed support player Lee “Effort” Sang-Ho. Effort has been a part of SKT’s practice squad for over a year and is currently ranked second in Korean solo queue. He is the first substitute support player to join SKT since Lee “Piccaboo” Jong-beom left the team in 2015.
Changes in Coaching Staff
In addition to Huni leaving, SKT also announced the departures of head coach Ccarter, who had been with the team for five years, and assistant coach Jung “RapidStar” Min-sung. As a result, Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun has been promoted to the head coach position.
However, Coach Ccarter will not be leaving the organization completely. SKT revealed in a press release that he will become the head coach for their next esports title, which is rumored to be PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Despite the changes, several key players have re-signed with SKT for the 2018 season, including Park “Untara” Ui-jin, Kang “Blank” Sun-gu, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Bae “Bang” Jun-sik, and Lee “Wolf” Jae-wan.