Is LNG Scout going to Worlds 2024? EDG lawsuit explained
Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesLNG fans have been waiting with bated breath to see if Scout can make it to Worlds 2024 despite an ongoing legal battle with EDward Gaming, the team he won Worlds 2021 with. However, we now know he’s being replaced.
Considering how important Scout is to LNG, this could be a crushing blow for the team. He’s one of the best mid laners in the LPL and has made a career for himself after one of the worst major league debuts of all time with T1.
Due to an ongoing legal battle with EDG, concerns started the moment LNG qualified that he wouldn’t be able to travel to Europe for Worlds 2024. Why is the team he won Worlds with suing him, though?
Here’s everything you need to know about the EDG lawsuit against Scout and who’s replacing him on LNG for their Worlds 2024 run.
Why is EDG suing Scout?
Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesEDward Gaming’s lawsuit against Scout is over the player allegedly agreeing to join an LCK team while still under contract with the Chinese organization. This legal battle is still going on more than two years later, with Scout’s agency choosing to counter the suit according to EDG’s general manager.
He also claimed that Scout’s agency, SuperGent, didn’t make the mid laner or LNG aware that the travel ban was still in place going into the final, going out of his way to blame the agency for this dispute. “The outrageous routines of this agency are really a mess,” he claimed.
SuperGent publicly called out EDG, claiming that the suit made it harder for the star mid laner to focus and publicly stating that he was banned from leaving the country.
“We have shared the information about the travel ban with the LPL and LNG, and the LPL and LNG have asked EDG for cooperation, but EDG has consistently feigned ignorance,” the company claimed.
Though the details around this lawsuit are messy at best, the result is the player is unable to leave the country as long as he’s embroiled in this legal battle. While there’s a possibility EDG will let up and allow Scout to travel to Europe, as of now, he will not be able to compete at Worlds 2024.
Who’s replacing Scout on LNG at Worlds 2024?
In an official announcement by Riot, we learned JDG’s Yagao will be stepping in to replace Scout as an emergency sub.
“Riot Games have been informed that [LNG] player Scout is temporarily restricted from traveling to Worlds 2024. Given this exceptional situation, LNG has been granted approval to field an emergency substitute,” Riot wrote in their statement.
Riot additionally explained that usually a team would be allowed to utilize a player who was either a free agent or had not participated in the last split as a substitute.
However, due to visa issues, they have permitted LNG to use Yagao as the pool of players who can sub and travel to Europe in such a small amount of time is limited, with overseas subs being ruled out as well.
They also said if Scout was allowed to travel to Worlds, LNG would need to provide at least 72 hours of notice before he is eligible to play in the match.
The news of Yagao stepping in was first broken by a report from China Gap. While the circumstances aren’t ideal, he has consistently been one of the best mid laners in the world for several years.
Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesDespite having played for a long time, he’s still at the top of his game as a mid laner. Rivaled only by other LPL stars like knight, Rookie, and Scout himself, Yagao is a mid laner known for his consistency and prowess across a wide pool of champions, traditionally being known as a control mage player.
It’s worth noting, however, that he’s adapted very well to the AD-focused mid meta, showing great performances on champs like Tristana, Zeri, Corki, and Lucian. It’s hard to think of a better mid laner to put in such a volatile position, though there are many old-school LPL fans that were rooting for Rookie instead.