X7 Esports’ Korean League of Legends top-laner Kim ‘Chasy’ Dong-hyeon has been linked with a move to Mad Lions’ LEC team.
Chasy joined X7, who play in the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), the European Regional League for the UK, Ireland and Nordics, earlier this summer.
He helped the Isle of Man esports organisation finish second in the NLC Summer 2022 playoffs and finish 5th-8th in the Summer European Masters.
Now it’s been reported by LEC Wooloo that he’s reached a verbal agreement with LEC side Mad Lions to join as their new top-laner, replacing Armut.
Esports News UK understands the news is legitimate and a deal has been agreed upon, but not yet finalised. Expect an official announcement potentially in the coming weeks.
Mad Lions are currently revising their roster during the League of Legends esports off-season. As well as Chasy, Mad Lions have also been linked with signing their former player Carzzy in the bot lane, and Fnatic support player Hylissang, with jungler Elyoya and mid-laner Nisqy apparently staying.
X7 are still preparing their revised League of Legends roster for 2023.
The news comes after another Korean player, jungler Haru, left X7 Esports earlier this year to join Team Vitality in the LEC. So it seems X7 has a pattern of signing Korean players, to help them perform well in the NLC, before selling them on to bigger organisations in the LEC.
X7 also have another Korean player – mid-laner Tempt.
We interviewed X7 Esports, including Haru and Tempt, at the start of 2022.
Former NLC team Lucent Esports also saw their Korean player Jony leave for Mad Lions’ academy team earlier this year.
Update (November 25th 2022): X7 have confirmed the news:
What NLC casters said about Chasy’s potential move to Mad Lions
NLC and LEC caster Initialise said responding to LEC Wooloo’s aforementioned tweet: “Chasy’s growth from the beginning of Summer was pretty extraordinary – he was a huge part of how X7 went on their monstrous run from the middle of the split, all the way to the finals from R1 of NLC playoffs. Big champ pool, excellent hands, quick to learn. High hopes for him!”
Initialise’s brother and fellow caster Nymaera added:
Many others commented on the potential move, one of many as off-season continues.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
