Following poor results in the second half of the 2020 LCS Summer Split, CLG mid laner Eugene “Pobelter” Park has been benched heading into week nine, according to streamer and former pro Christian “IWillDominate” Rivera.
“You know I got my ear to the ground with this shit,” IWD said on Twitter. “So let me inform you that for some godforsaken reason Pobelter is benched for this week of LCS.”
CLG has yet to confirm the move, but if IWD’s word is to be believed, CLG Academy mid laner Jean-Sébastien “Tuesday” Thery could be stepping up to the plate.
With former world champion and mid laner Lee “Crown” Min-ho leaving the roster in March 2020, a surprise late-season signing or a role reshuffle are CLG’s only available options, besides Tuesday.
CLG have won just one match in the second half of the split, losing six back-to-back games and falling to eighth place in the standings, ahead only of Immortals and Team Dignitas.
With just two games remaining of the regular season, the team is in a difficult position, unlikely to advance to the playoffs. But despite the circumstances, removing Pobelter from the roster at this stage could do more harm than good.
Pobelter has been one of CLG’s redeeming factors in the summer, mustering an impressive 70 percent kill participation, more than Team Liquid’s Jensen and FlyQuest’s PowerOfEvil. Pobelter was crucial in Spring Split, leading CLG to multiple victories. CLG hasn’t had many games to brag about this spring, after going 1-9 through the first five weeks of the new year. Recently, however, the team decided to switch out Lee “Crown” Min-ho for Pobelter—and that decision made all the difference today.
Pobelter took over on Viktor, finding great ultimate chances and picking out multiple TSM players during teamfights. He ended the game with four kills, six assists, and over 400 creep score to boot. It’s clear that his addition has given the rest of the roster more direction, since he is one of the most experienced players on the team.
Kim “Ruin” Hyeong-min has also been playing really well for CLG, and today, he helped push his team to victory on Rumble. The 24-year old top laner had key ultimates in a handful of game-changing teamfights. This decision seems like a last-ditch effort to save Counter Logic Gaming from a poor year. However, considering how the entire team plays it’s unlikely that this will change anything.