Some League players become so well known for their play on a champion that their names become legend. Choi “inSec” In-seok is known worldwide for his famous Lee Sin mechanics, specifically his use of Lee Sin’s ultimate, Dragon’s Rage, in tandem with his Flash to kick an enemy back into his team. Lee “Flame” Ho-jong’s lane dominance has manifested itself as the “Flame Horizon,” which occurs whenever a player gains a 100 creep score lead over their lane opponent.
Then, there’s MadLife.
Hong “MadLife” Min-gi was once feared as the best support in the world when he played for Maximum Impact Gaming Frost in 2012. He was able to dominate from a role many considered weak at the time, landing hook after hook on champions like Thresh and Blitzcrank, amassing highlight reel clips in every game he played. His predictions were legendary, often allowing his team to gain a quick kill or even win entire games.
After almost six years in the spotlight, MadLife officially announced his retirement in an interview with Inven Global today.
MadLife is part of the original wave of Korean League superstars. He first burst onto the scene with MiG Frost before it was bought by livestreaming website Azubu and rebranded to Azubu Frost later in 2012. MadLife and his teammates on Azubu took the Korean league by storm, securing first place. They proceeded to dominate at the Season 2 World Championships, taking second place behind the Taipai Assassins.
Unfortunately for Frost, the team seemed to have reached its peak. Korean gaming company CJ Entus took over the team in 2013, but not even MadLife could carry them through frequent roster swaps. In 2016, CJ Entus was finally eliminated from the LCK by ESC Ever after placing last in the Summer Split. It was unclear where the road would lead from there for MadLife.
MadLife announced his decision to compete in the North American Challenger Series with Gold Coin United later in 2016. With him at the helm, the team stormed to two straight NACS titles, though it failed both times to make it to the LCS stage. After once again missing out on the big leagues after the summer of 2017, MadLife left the organization and turned to streaming.
His retirement marks the end of an era for League of Legends, as one of its most famous players hangs up his mouse and keyboard for the last time.
