North American esports organization Team Liquid has reported visa issues with part of its newly acquired League of Legends lineup. Former SuperNova jungler Shern “Shernfire” Cherng Tai is transitioning to the academy roster, with former Fnatic jungler Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen and head coach Jang “Cain” Nu-ri on the main team in 2020. However, these three key members have been met with delays during the visa process, according to Team Liquid Owner Steve Arhancet.
So this sucks, there are delays processing visas for Cain, Broxah and Shernfire. We hope they all may be able to compete at the start of season, but that may not happen. This has also affected our Jan team practice. We are evaluating backup options should they be required. 😢
— Steve Arhancet (@LiQuiD112) January 2, 2020
Team Liquid visa problems
Visa problems have always been a big problem for North American League of Legends, with the region using imported players heavily. While the issue has usually gotten solved, there have been some problems when players temporarily switch regions. In addition, this delay will impact preseason practice, as both the jungler and coach are essential to the roster’s functionality.
The 2020 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Spring Split begins on Jan. 25, giving Team Liquid only a few weeks of room. If the problem isn’t solved soon, the organization may have to turn to substitute players. That said, with competition only from teams like Evil Geniuses and Cloud9, Liquid has less to worry about with its pre-established dominance in the North American scene.
2020 LCS Season
Most of Team Liquid’s core roster remains the same, with Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong, Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, and Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in. Broxah has also seen as a major upgrade from previous jungler Jake “Xmithie” Puchero, who left to join Immortals. Some attributed Team Liquid’s poor performance at the 2019 World Championships to Xmithie, despite him stepping up in instances like the Baron steal during a match against ahq esports club.
With Germany recently introducing an esports visa for the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), it may be time for the United States to do the same. What do you think about this situation? Let us know about your opinion, and keep up with Daily Esports for all of your League of Legends coverage.
Published: Jan 3, 2020 03:52 am