Lucas “Santorin” Larsen signed with Team Liquid for the 2020 season but recently ran into a huge hurdle. To clarify, Liquid enters the upcoming LCS Lock-In Tournament without its new Jungler. “Visa delays” contributed to Santorin's inability to join the rest of his team for the first stage of the LCS this year. Unfortunately, it's not an unfamiliar song and dance for Team Liquid.

A rocky first step

Similarly, Liquid ran into visa issues with a new Jungler in the 2020 season of League of Legends. Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen failed to join LIquid in the 2020 Spring Split because of visa complications. The issue translated into one of the most horrible seasons for Team Liquid since it reformed in 2018. The team somehow managed to qualify for Worlds 2020 despite the rocky start of the season.

Santorin's visa hiccup potentially sets back Team Liquid in the new format of the LCS. The Danish Jungler started playing in the NA region in 2014 but still runs into potentially season-ending troubles. Santorin aims to join up with his team for the second week of the LCS Lock-In but the issue is entirely out of his hands.

It's baffling that visa issues continue to plague modern-day esports leagues. Esports grew to one of the most established and lucrative industries in sporting but its players are still not safe from such troubles.

Team Liquid Academy's Jonathan “Armao” Armao steps up to the plate as Santorin's replacement for the Lock-In. Hopefully, Santorin settles his visa problems and plays with his team. The LCS Lock-In kicks off on Friday, January 15th.