Huhi’s career nearly fell apart, but now he is finding his stride once again. Now he is heading to the World Championships looking to expand on his redemption arc.

In life, there are two directions you can take. You can choose to stop and give up or you can continue moving forward. Initially, people choose the option to continue moving forward after failure, with the mentality that they will bounce back. But what happens when failure becomes an everyday lifestyle? 

100 Thieves support Huhi kept going down this path in hopes that he would strike gold. Instead, he found himself tumbling down. In three years, Huhi went from winning an LCS championship in his first split to losing his LCS spot and dropping down to Academy. On the precipice of the bottom, Huhi finally gave up on returning as an LCS midlaner.

But instead of giving up entirely on his pro gaming career, he reinvented himself. He made the decision to swap from midlane to support and never looked back. Huhi’s story begins like other former pro players in the past. But Huhi’s combination of persistence and reinvention is what makes him the outlier.

Reinvention by necessity for Huhi

Huhi’s early years in the LCS are very similar to where he is right now with 100 Thieves results-wise. In 2016, Huhi was a part of the CLG Golden Age. He won the 2016 LCS Spring Split, got 2nd at MSI, and capped it off by making a trip to the 2016 LoL World Championships. 

He became a scapegoat for a lot of his team’s failures. Whenever CLG would lose, Huhi was the reason. This tradition carried onward when left the team to join 100 Thieves. In what was supposed to be that rise back up to the top, he fell down into a point in his career he would never hit.

Huhi's first stint with 100 Thieves was not successful and he was moved down to LCS Academy.
Huhi's first stint with 100 Thieves was not successful and he was moved down to LCS Academy.

And the community took notice of that. A snowball of hate and self-doubt, all crashing down on you while you are sinking as the decision to move forward begins to feel pointless.

You begin to question whether you are making the right decision. Your confidence begins to wane. Over time, that confidence you once had in your abilities and that hope you hold onto begins to disappear until you finally quit and begin a new journey.

He went down into the LCS Academy, but he was no longer a midlaner. Huhi would join the Golden Guardians Academy roster as the support. Determined and driven to prove himself, Huhi made the climb to the Golden Guardians main squad. Things began to change as he racked up more experience as a support, and eventually, an opportunity came knocking. For a former champion like Huhi, it quickly became clear that he had to act, despite his own reservations.

Not just position changes - outlook, too

When the opportunity to rejoin 100 Thieves came along, hesitation began to creep in once again. The opportunity to find redemption, shadowed in fear that all the progress he made to get back into the LCS could disappear once again. 

“When I got the offer of 100 Thieves for support, I was scared that it might happen again.” Huhi shares.

Yet, even with these fears, Huhi took the offer, battling his past demons in order to start the new journey towards reinvention and redemption with 100 Thieves. 

Fast forward to the present, Huhi is an LCS champion once again. Huhi’s first stint on 100 Thieves felt like the start of his retirement journey, but now he is in a position to show that he is here to stay.

100 Thieves are the 2021 LCS Summer Split Champions.
100 Thieves are the 2021 LCS Summer Split Champions.

“I'm really happy that I was finally able to show that I'm able to win it all with this team. Nobody would expect I would be back in this position. I'm just very grateful for this opportunity.”  Huhi shares.

Huhi enters the 2021 LoL World Championship revitalized and full of confidence. No longer a "washed up" pro player, Huhi is a key component for 100 Thieves to succeed. 

 "I've gotten better and now I'm giving them the first trophy. It means a lot."

Huhi on securing 100 Thieves first LCS title

Huhi’s chapter of redemption is now over, but the journey does not stop there.

100 Thieves will represent NA as the first seed at the 2021 LoL World Championship. As a result, they will directly seed into the Group Stages and will await the group draw to see who they will be up against.

Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest League of Legends news and highlights.

Photos courtesy of espat.ai.