In the Beginning

Photos courtesy of Riot Games’ awesome Flickr!

Somewhere in the metropolis of Suwon, South Korea a hard drive spun, bits were transferred, and for the first time on this particular computer, the well-known ping of a League of Legends login was played. Thus began the career of Lee “Shrimp” Byeong-hoon. And like many League players, Shrimp didn’t find the game on his own. “When I was 19, my friend recommended it to me,” he recalls. Little did he know, it was a game that would change the trajectory of his entire life.

Playing League has become a way that millions of people around the world love to spend their time. A large chunk of that player base is on the casual side, and at first Shrimp had no dreams of going pro -- it was just something he enjoyed. As his hours played continued to increase, so did his abilities as a player. His attitude towards the idea of professional play began to change as he continued to climb the ladder, “No [I didn’t have intentions of going pro] but once I hit high elo,” says Shrimp, “I started to think about it.”

As he continued his grind through high elo on the infamously ruthless Korean server, another friend would help chart the course for the next years of Shrimp’s life. Soon his friends got him in contact with the North American Challenger squad, Team Coast. And before he knew it, his tickets were booked and he was on his way out of of South Korea and traveling nearly 6,000 miles to the United States to get his first taste of professional play in the 2015 NA CS Summer Split.

Imagine packing your bags with your family by your side one day and then being on your own in a foreign land the next. “It was hard for me,” says Shrimp, “It was my first time living abroad.” The adjustments can be incredibly difficult and comforts you take for granted at home can become some of your greatest obstacles. “I had trouble with the language barrier and the food,” he said, reflecting back on his first experiences in North America. Yet regardless of how he felt, it was now his job to get on the Rift and perform. And perform he would.

Coasting on Through

Photos courtesy of Riot Games’ awesome Flickr!

Shrimp was an instrumental piece in Team Coast’s success during the 2015 NA CS Summer Split. They coasted to an 8-2 overall record, making them tied for first in the regular season with the now-defunct Renegades. After dismantling Cloud9 Tempest 2-0 in the semifinals, Team Coast turned their sights to Renegades in the finals. This is where Shrimp would get his first taste of a truly hard-fought defeat. The series went a full five games and played out as a tense back-and-forth affair that ended with Renegades punching their tickets straight to the NA LCS while sending Shrimp and company to the NA LCS Spring Promotion tournament.

Shrimp responded crisply in Team Coast’s bounce-back qualification series against NME eSports, where he helped lead the team to a coveted NA LCS berth. His combination of facilitating on picks like Nunu and Rek’Sai contrasted strongly with his carry performance on the early game spider queen, Elise. His ability to play different jungle styles gave Team Coast the boost they needed to blast their way through NME on their way to the NA LCS. Unfortunately, the taste of victory was to be short-lived and Shrimp’s time in the NA LCS came to a close almost as soon as he had clawed his way into North America’s premier circuit.

Team Coast’s stay in the NA LCS would be over before the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split even began. They were approached by the newly-founded NRG Esports and sold their NA LCS seed just before the Spring Split began. Once NRG took over they gutted the entire roster, leaving the players, including Shrimp, without a team. He played one game for NRG, but it was nothing more than a formality and Shrimp was sent packing the very next day. He wouldn’t stay teamless for long though, and in what felt like the blink of an eye the jungler-for-hire was picked up as a substitute for the newly formed challenger team, Apex Gaming.

Not Quite the Apex

Photos courtesy of Riot Games’ awesome Flickr!

After buying Team Imagine’s NA CS seed, Apex Gaming was destined to become a Challenger scene monster, fielding a potent mix of LCS-level talent and Korean imports. They tore through the NA CS, and Shrimp shared playing time with starting jungler Seo “Eve” Jun-cheol throughout. Apex ended up defeating Team Dragon Knights for the NA CS title and then again in the promotion tournament, which earned their seemingly inevitable berth into the 2016 NA LCS Summer Split. The team was in a great position, rotating a full six man roster that was firing on all cylinders, but an unforeseen twist was about to put Shrimp into the spotlight all on his own.

Weeks before the Split was to begin, Apex’s starting jungler Eve was suspended by Riot Korea for scripting (automating game actions without inputs). With Eve out, Shrimp was now tabbed as Apex’s sole starting jungler. To many this seemed like a downgrade due to Eve’s top-flight experience in the LCK, but what fans didn’t factor in was Shrimp’s nearly infinite work ethic. “[My biggest strength as a player] is the amount that I practice,” says Shrimp -- and he’s not kidding.

Shrimp’s been known to practice upwards of 12 hours a day, perfecting his mechanics and testing his mettle in solo queue. To players like you and I this may seem like an insane amount of time, but Shrimp views it as part of his commitment to his work. “I’m a professional, so it’s expected of me to try hard,” he states, “I sustain myself by thinking about my goals.” And while the world may have been sleeping on Shrimp, he was up making the most of his time, putting in as much work as he could to develop into a better player on the Rift.

Time flew by and opening week of the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split had arrived. Shrimp and the rest of Apex Gaming lit up the stage, tearing through their foes on the way to a perfect 2-0 record in the first week of the split, impressing analysts and critics alike. But as the split wore on Apex began to stumble against their opposition and like the rest of the team, Shrimp’s performances ranged from immaculate to dismal. Practice and mechanical prowess alone don’t get you very far at the highest level of play and consequently Shrimp found he still had some very valuable lessons to learn.

During that turbulent time Shrimp still found ways to grow his game, focusing on his approach to team chemistry, “[I learned that] not holding back and honesty were good for the team.” And while these may seem like obvious boons to any squad, it can be difficult to find the perfect balance of these qualities in a competitive setting. Too much criticism and honesty can lead to suddenly upset teammates, but if you stay too quiet you’ll risk losing your voice in the team completely. It may have taken a trial by fire but Shrimp’s short time on Apex taught him lessons about teamwork that he would carry with him throughout his career.

Apex tumbled to a disappointing 7th place finish in the 2016 NA LCS Summer Split and were about to disappear as a brand completely. In September, the Philadelphia 76ers (yes, the basketball team) bought both Apex Gaming and Team Dignitas, opting to unite the two brands under the more recognizable Team Dignitas banner. While Shrimp was technically still a part of the organization until January of 2017, he ultimately decided to leave the team after they brought in LCK star Lee “Chaser” Sang-hyun as their new starting jungler. Shrimp didn’t depart without offers, and his newest plans were about to take him on another flight across the ocean to play for DetonatioN FocusMe of Japan’s LJL.

Detonating the Competition

Photos courtesy of Riot Games’ awesome Flickr!

Even though he was only in Japan for a single split, Shrimp used this time to continue honing his skills on stage in the LJL while also continuing his rigorous practice schedule. Shrimp played exclusively Korean solo queue while living in Japan and attributed some of his growth to lessons he learned while playing on his own, “While I was in Japan, I learned how to play aggressively,” says Shrimp, and it showed when he hit the stage with his new team. In his time spent with DetonatioN, he led the team to an 8-2 record, favoring in-your-face junglers like Kha’Zix, Graves, and Rengar. His 5.40 KDA and 74% kill participation show just how easy it was for him to cut down his opposition on the Rift.

Mechanics and aggressiveness aren’t the only things that Shrimp worked on while in Japan, though. He was also finding ways to develop intangibles that would make him not only a better player, but a better teammate that could fit seamlessly into any team, anywhere. “[During my time in Japan] I learned that communication is very important,” Shrimp says, reflecting on his time in the LJL. Shrimp would be the first to admit that communication is one of his weak points as a player, he struggles earnestly with English: “I’m bad at English at the moment,” Shrimp explains, “But I’m trying to get better.” As a player making his way around the world, Shrimp was finding out that communication, while sometimes difficult, was one of the greatest assets he could bring to a team as a jungler.

Around the World and Back Again

Photos courtesy of Riot Games’ awesome Flickr!

After his short stint in the LJL, Shrimp made his way back to North America as a substitute jungler for Team Dignitas -- a fate he had tried to avoid just months before. Irony aside, Shrimp’s move back to the NA LCS would lead to him becoming starter sooner rather than later. In Week 2 of the 2017 NA LCS Summer Split, Team Dignitas opted to start Shrimp over their incumbent jungler, Chaser. The move paid instant dividends and Shrimp’s heroics propelled Team Dignitas to a massive 2-1 upset over perennial North American powerhouse Team SoloMid. The honeymoon period wouldn’t last for more than a couple weeks, and collectively the team has looked like it has more questions than answers.

As the 2017 NA LCS Summer Split continues on Shrimp and Team Dignitas have shown flashes of brilliance coupled with conversely dim moments, dropping from a 5-1 win/loss record to a .500 record overall in the last few weeks. Teams often go through highs and lows, and unlike the perfect record of Fnatic in the 2015 EU LCS Summer Split, teams must find ways to push through their peaks and valleys throughout any given season. It's worth remembering that Team Dignitas experienced a similar slump in the Spring Split, but righted the ship and ended up as a dangerous playoff-level team.

There’s no denying that the team is in a rut right now, but from experience Shrimp knows there’s always an opportunity to level up his game, and part of that process is finding where he fits in on the squad. “[Our biggest challenge this split is] developing trust and communication within the team,” says Shrimp. And creating that type of atmosphere can be tough, especially when the critical role of jungler has just changed guard. It’ll take some time to get the team synergy where it needs to be, but Shrimp and his teammates are confident they’ll be able to kick start their performances back into peak form.

More Than a Game

Photos courtesy of Riot Games’ awesome Flickr!

It’s easy to get caught up in all the performances, the highs and lows, and the theatrics of our favorite esports. So much so that we often miss the stories happening off the stage. Esports are a meritocracy (as they should be), but it makes their behind the scenes stories harder to uncover unless a player is at the absolute peak of their game. League of Legends has unlocked ways of living that were closed off to professional players previously and has given us stories of triumph and tragedy that electrify our spirits and keep us watching every week. Shrimp’s a highly talented and driven player that’s been caught up in the wave of esports and given it the chance to change his life.

Even though Shrimp didn’t have support at home initially, his parents changed their minds quickly after seeing the success of their son. “To be honest, they were against it in the start,” says Shrimp, “But now that I’m making money for them, they are happy about it!” League of Legends helps Shrimp support his family who are often thousands of miles away from him, while also giving him a new-found drive in life.

“[League of Legends has changed my life by making me] want to be the best at something,” says Shrimp. His tireless work ethic propels him through his tremendously rigorous training schedule and the highs and lows of being a professional gamer. It also guides him towards his dream of performing on the biggest stage in League of Legends -- Worlds. “[My goal for my career] is to go to Worlds,” Shrimp says. And while that’s a lofty goal indeed, it’s clear that these are the words of someone that’s striving for big things. Opportunities are what you make of them, and Shrimp is making the most of his time in esports. He’s pushing himself every single day to be the best player that he can be; there should be no doubt about that.

Regardless of how his career plays out, I’ve found that Shrimp and I have one big thing in common: Once all is said and done, we’ll both want to kick back with an ice cold drink and look back at lives well lived.

Ian Nowakowski is an esports writer based out of San Diego, California. He currently writes for lolesports.com and Team Dignitas. @ian_nowakowski