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Taiwanese support Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh parted ways with North America's Team SoloMid (TSM) in October this year, spending just one season in the LCS. While SwordArt's stint with TSM didn't pan out to expectations, the star player has returned to China with Weibo Gaming for 2022. He will be reuniting with several of his former teammates from Suning, looking to challenge for the LPL crown.
Weibo Gaming acquired Suning's spot in the league just last November and kept most of its starting roster. This includes Le “SofM” Quang Duy in the jungle, Xiang “Angel” Tao in the mid lane, and the bot duo of Tang “huanfeng” Huan-Feng and Luo “ON” Wen-Jun. Meanwhile in the top lane, former Invictus Gaming player Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok has jumped onboard to replace Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin. With SwordArt now confirmed to be joining Weibo, the six-man roster will look to put up a strong 2022 season in the LPL.
Back in 2020, SwordArt and Suning had reached the finals of the World Championship, conceding the trophy to LCK's Damwon Gaming. This capped off a breathtaking year for the squad, having qualified for Worlds through the Regional Finals. In the LPL Summer playoffs, Suning had come in third place, a huge improvement from their 11th place finish in the Spring split standings.
Before that, SwordArt had made his name in the League of Legends scene through his time with FlashWolves. As one of the top teams in Asia, they had dominated the LMS, claiming the Spring and Summer trophies in both 2017 and 2018. Internationally, they also put up competitive performances, going 3-3 in the group stage at Worlds 2018 and reaching the semifinals of the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational.
SwordArt has been touted as a high-caliber support player, which made TSM vie for his signature for 2021. As the highest-paid LCS player, however, he had a disappointing year, with the team finishing in fourth and missing out on a Worlds spot.
For the upcoming year, SwordArt heads back to the LPL and will hope that reuniting with his former Suning teammates, albeit under the Weibo banner, will prove more fruitful as they seek domestic and international glory.
