It was a difficult 2019 Spring Split for Misfits Gaming in the LEC. After a relatively strong start to the season, the roster faltered in the second half of the split, finishing in eighth place.
The poor performance has seemingly led to a roster change, with Misfits acquiring 1907 Fenerbahçe jungler Thomas “Kirei” Yuen. The move was confirmed via the League of Legends Esports League-Recognized Contract Database, which is a spreadsheet of every single players signed to a professional team in every region. Kirei’s contract ends on November 16, 2020, according to the database.
The acquisition of Kirei may just be the first of a handful of moves that Misfits might be making this offseason, especially with how disappointing the past split went. Fans and analysts alike touted Misfits as a supposed superteam that could stand up to the likes of G2 Esports and Fnatic. And for the first three weeks, it did just that.
After those first few weeks, though, Misfits began an unprecedented slide down to the eighth spot in the regular season. Its roster could not find the synergy needed to tackle some of the team in the league, and it makes sense that the team would make changes before Summer Split.
Misfits could have Kirei share time with jungler Nubar “Maxlore” Sarafian, who had a relatively tough time this spring. His average gold difference at 10 minutes and average experience difference at 10 minutes were some of the worst in the league, and he had a pretty low KDA ratio as well. Kirei’s time with 1907 Fenerbahçe could provide Misfits with some much-needed roster flexibility.
