

Lee "Kuro" Seo-haeng is leaving Bilibili Gaming. The Korean Mid Laner's contract expires today and both parties mutually agreed that parting ways was for the best.



Kuro has been playing League of Legends competitively since 2013, but the 2019 season was his first outside of his home country of South Korea. Kuro signed a contract with BLG in December of 2018, and subsequently moved to China to play in the LPL.



BLG missed the 2019 LPL Spring Playoffs after a disappointing Spring Split, but redeemed itself next split and qualified for the LPL Summer Playoffs. Bilibili Gaming defeated EDward Gaming in the first round of the playoffs, but hit a wall against FunPlus PhoeniX and was eliminated in a 3-1 loss.



Kuro originally made a name for himself as a member of the legendary Tigers lineup. Throughout two years of play and a myriad of sponsors, Kuro and the Tigers placed 1st in the LCK for four splits straight, qualified for four straight LCK Finals, a Worlds Final, and secured an LCK title in the lineup's final split playing together under the ROX banner.



Kuro spent the previous two seasons at his individual peak on Afreeca Freecs, but the team did not enjoy the same level of success as the Tigers. Afreeca qualified for the 2017 LCK Playoffs in both splits, but failed to make it past the first best-of-three round in both attempts. Afreeca improved in 2018, securing top 3 finishes in both Playoffs and qualified for Worlds 2018 as its region's #2 seed, but a shaky Group Stage was followed by an unprecedented sweep at the hands of NA's Cloud9.



Whether Kuro will remain in the LPL or return to the LCK is currently unknown, but it will most likely depend on whether Kuro values the comfort of his home more than the current superiority of China's LPL when compared to the rest of the world.