With the League of Legends world championships just two weeks away, fans and pros alike are waiting the biggest event in the game. But the teams who didn’t qualify for the big dance are already looking forward to next year.
Team 8 announced today it’s holding open tryouts for the top lane position, vacated by departing veteran Steve “Calitrlolz” Kim, who is returning to pharmacy school after taking a year long leave of absence to play in the League Championship Series (LCS) after his team qualified.
Team 8 is looking for a Master/Challenger player with “strong communication skills” and a positive attitude willing to practice 70 plus hours per week. They’re accepting applications from all regions, but naturally prefer someone fluent in English. They’re also hoping to find someone with at least a little competitive experience, even if it’s just in the Challenger scene.
That may be crucial considering top lane could be one of the toughest positions to play competitively. With lane swaps and other considerations, the competitive top experience is quite different from that in solo queue, often making it difficult for even extremely skilled players to transfer over.
If you’re a Master player thinking about donning Team 8’s white and blue next season, and unafraid of spending 10 hours a day living League of Legends, then shoot Team 8 an email. Just be prepared to answer some tough questions like “What does League of Legends mean to you? What is your LCS motivation?” and “What qualities make you an upcoming LCS-caliber top laner? What do you think you need to improve on?” as part of the process.
Whoever earns the position will have some big shoes to fill. In many ways Kim was the face of the team, a player who represented their unique, aggressive playstyle and all its faults and benefits. He led the LCS in kills from the top lane during the Spring season and served as their shot caller.
Team 8 used Kim for one final series when they defended their spot in the LCS against Imagine Gaming, winning the promotion event 3-1 to stave off relegation. The team posted a 6-12 record in the Summer season, a disappointing sophomore showing after going 9-9 and coming one game away from playoff qualification in the Spring.
That just goes to show how tough a job like LCS players really is—70 plus hour work weeks, and little job security. But that’s the price for living an esports dream.
