Team Liquid release Hans sama ahead of 2023 LCS rebuild

Team Liquid’s offseason has kicked off with a bang as they announce the departure of AD Carry Steven ‘Hans sama’ Liv.

For those teams not attending the 2022 League of Legends World Championship, the offseason is officially underway. And if there’s a team that needs, above all, to win the offseason, it’s the LCS’s Team Liquid.

After a disappointing 2022 that saw the LCS superteam fail to qualify for Worlds, it was clear that change was needed. Co-CEO Steve Arhancet explained in a video posted by Team Liquid that the roster “would be different” heading into 2023.

The first of those changes has now been as of September 19, with Team Liquid announcing the departure of AD Carry Steven ‘Hans sama’ Liv from the roster.

Today we say farewell to @Hanssama. Thank you for all that you have done for us at TLH this past year.

We look forward to seeing you again on the other side of the stage. Bonne chance! pic.twitter.com/DzH76k9Qt1

— Team Liquid Honda LoL (@TeamLiquidLoL) September 19, 2022

He was with the team for only a year, joining in 2021 after departing from Rogue in the LEC. It was his first stint playing outside Europe, in which he and Team Liquid failed to qualify for a single international event. He was originally contracted with the team until November 2024, but will now be released from his contract almost two years early.

The rebuild begins

With Hans sama gone, Team Liquid’s offseason rebuild has officially begun. Their bot lane was one of the team’s weakest components, and it’s as yet unclear whether Jo ‘CoreJJ’ Yong-In will remain with the roster for 2023.

He’s contracted until the end of 2022, and is a hot commodity now that he’s acquired residency and won’t take up an import slot on an NA roster. As it currently stands, Team Liquid have one import slot available, with the other taken up by top laner Gabriël ‘Bwipo’ Rau.

The team has made no indication as to what their further offseason plans may be. As for Hans sama’s future plans, a report by Upcomer has linked him with French giants Karmine Corp, although nothing has been confirmed with regards to his future plans.