Firefox is the Head Coach of Royal Never Give Up (Dionne Ng)

Royal Never Give Up notified fans via weibo that League of Legends Head Coach Huang “Firefox” Tinghsiang will not conduct draft for the team on stage during the LPL final. Instead, Royal Club (Royal’s LSPL team) Coach, Lee “Heart” Gwanhyung, will conduct pick and ban for the team.

Health issues struck LPL finalist team Royal Never Give Up one more time in their summer split. After illness befell Liu “Mlxg” Shiyu, the team’s entire sub roster, and Jian “Uzi” Zihao, Head Coach Firefox began to suffer from health problems prior to RNG’s semifinal match against EDward Gaming. As a result, Heart lead pick and ban in the semifinal.

“Although Firefox accompanied the team to the Final, he has not yet made a full recovery, and Heart will lead the pick and ban on stage tomorrow,” Royal Never Give Up said on weibo. “Firefox and the other members of the coaching team will be able to counsel the team during the match. We look forward to your encouragement and support.”

After the match against EDG, press asked Heart about stepping in for Firefox.

Heart said “[I had] about 60-70% confidence [in assuming the position] since I haven’t helped the team in scrims a lot. If I had helped them more, probably 90%” and that “It was originally supposed to be Firefox on stage today. If he were here, he would also certainly win.”

The final in Nanjing marks Royal’s third consecutive appearance in an LPL final. It’s unclear what impact, if any, Firefox’s health may have on the outcome.

You can follow Kelsey Moser on Twitter @karonmoser.