Ming “Clearlove” Kai has retired from the jungle to take up the position of head coach in EDward Gaming for the 2020 League of Legends<\/em> season. <\/p>
Clearlove has shown a dramatic decline in performance in 2019. His position as one of the best junglers in China quickly disappeared, as he and EDG fell to a seventh-place finish in the summer split. <\/p>
He\u2019s always underperformed internationally\u2014prematurely exiting Worlds on multiple occasions\u2014but domestically, he\u2019s been top tier for years. This year, though, his mechanical skill and his map presence have fallen sharply, resulting in his team’s descent in the standings.<\/p>
\u201cClearlove has very high standards for himself. But his form from practicing this year hasn\u2019t been up to the standard where he can play on stage,\u201d LPL caster Remember said in November. \u201cEDG keeps asking if he can switch to a coaching position to help impact the organization\u2018s results. I\u2019ve known of this for half a year.\u201d<\/p>
While Clearlove\u2019s switch to the coaching position might be a disappointment to LPL fans, the move makes perfect sense. He never achieved a strong Worlds finish as a player. But as a coach, he could well lead his team to victory. <\/p>
Although he doesn\u2019t have experience from the coaching position, he\u2019s a knowledgable player with years of shotcalling experience. <\/p>
\u201cMy dream has always been to win Worlds,” Clearlove said<\/a>. “Apart from relying on your hard work and strengths, you\u2019ll need a little luck. So, if I can\u2019t win this after I retire, I\u2019ll stay in this industry and help those pro players with dreams to fulfill this dream.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
