Thank You Piglet

Today, we bid farewell to Gwang-jin "Piglet" Chae. Few players will ever don the Liquid jersey that will become as strong a symbol and representative as Piglet. Over the past three years, we have been fortunate to work with a player as dedicated and steadfast as Piglet, and we will always remember his heroic performances. We look back at some of his greatest moments with us.

In October 2014, Curse eSports announced what was then the biggest player acquisition in LCS history. Gwang-jin "Piglet" Chae, a world champion AD Carry and member of the dominant Season 3 SK Telecom T1K roster, was coming to North America.

Owner Steve Arhancet had long dreamed of Piglet playing under the org, and finally after a trip to Korea and hours of negotiations with both Piglet and his mother, this became a reality.

Piglet is special in his own right—a force in the bot lane hailed for his mechanical prowess—yet to Team Liquid, he means even more. This chapter of Piglet’s history is longer than that of Team Liquid LoL itself.

In his first months on Curse, Piglet struggled most of all. With minimal English speaking skills, and an entirely new environment, the Korean ADC faced homesickness and the absence of friends and family. It was a challenge worthy of a world champion, and eventually, Piglet warmed up to North America, his team, his new home. This determination and resilience is testament to Piglet’s character.

Before the 2015 season began, Piglet’s environment would take another slight turn: Team Liquid League of Legends was born. After missing the season opener on account of visa issues, Piglet fought his way through his first split in North America. Facing continued issues with the team, he found himself swapping time with substitute Yuri “Keith” Jew.

Piglet trudged on. Against these initial shortcomings, his resilience rose once again. Piglet’s confidence and unmatched practice ethic demanded the starting role, and in the Summer Split of that year Team Liquid took first place in the regular season with him as the team's star.

For the following seasons, effort remained Piglet’s strongest weapon. In Spring 2016, with an entirely new roster, Piglet continued to dominate in the botlane, but fell short in playoffs nonetheless. The following split, he voluntarily stepped down to Team Liquid Academy amidst troubles with team synergy, and brought them within one game of promotion.

His practice continued, sometimes 15-16 hours with little sleep—for Piglet, being the best was the expectation. 2017 would be the most trying years of his time in North America. A starter once again, Team Liquid faced the promotion tournament in both splits, and each time fought their way out. In these final two acts on Liquid, Piglet stood toe-to-toe against top regional talent with carry performances as a mid laner, set aside differences and found success with old friends, and above all else gave everything for success.

For his teammates, his fans, and the game of League, this strength is what makes Piglet special. Yet his profound impact on our organization goes beyond his performances in the LCS. The professionalism and drive that he showed during his time on Team Liquid has served as an inspiration for both teammates and staff members alike. We are proud to have worked with Piglet and we are lucky to be able to call him a friend. While our journey together now comes to an end, we will always be grateful for everything that he has done for us, in and out of the Rift. There is no doubt in our minds that he will find success on his next adventure, and we will be cheering for him no matter what.

Thank you, Piglet. You will always have a home with Team Liquid.