- The veteran will be leaving EG following the expiry of his contract on November 22
- Impact played an important role in popularizing foreign talent in the LCS
- EG will reorganize around the vacant spot left by Impact
Following a successful two years helping EG reach new heights in competitive League, Impact will be leaving the team in search of new opportunities.
Impact Leaves Evil Geniuses
The end of the year marks a time for League of Legends teams to reorganize and build up for the next competitive season. This also marks the end of many players’ contracts, and this includes Evil Geniuses’ legendary top laner Impact. The North American organization announced that Jeong “Impact” Eon-young will not be returning with the team for the 2023 season.
The player’s contract will end on November 22 and he will be able to look for new opportunities for next year’s competitive season. This marks the end of a two-year-long career with Evil Geniuses, with Impact playing a crucial role in the rebuilding of the team in 2021. He helped the team finish in the top four at this year’s Mid-Season Invitational and qualify for the group stage at the World Championship—all of which were firsts for the franchise.
But Impact’s contribution does is not limited to what he has done for EG. Being active in the LCS since 2013, Impact was one of the first players to popularize the importation of foreign talent into the league. His career allowed him to play for major organizations like Cloud9 and Team Liquid, further paving the way for more overseas players to enter the LCS.
What’s Next for the Organization and Impact?
Impact’s departure from Evil Geniuses leaves a big hole in the roster that won’t be easy to fill. Now, the organization plans to restructure around the void left by Impact. According to some rumors, the vacant spot will be filled with the key LCS prospect in 100 Thieves’ Academy-level top laner Tenacity.
Evil Geniuses are also looking for a new AD carry. The position was previously filled by Danny, but the player fell out due to personal reasons near the end of the Summer 2022 Split. EG quickly filled the void with interim starting ADC Kaori, but the player didn’t have much time to train with the roster, which played a crucial part in EG’s falling out during Worlds 2022.
Despite the many difficulties Evil Geniuses faced this year and the fact they did not manage to go very far into the World Champions, Impact seems to leave the organization with good feelings. His now-former teammate Kacper Słoma thanked him for his time in EG and wished him good luck in his future pursuits.
It is currently not known what Impact’s next move will be. There are no reports of him already being in talks with any specific organizations, but considering his extensive career, the veteran top laner is sure to easily find a new team.