Jason “WildTurtle” Tran has more on his mind entering the 2021 season of League of Legends than a Worlds ticket. The departure of twin Team SoloMid stars Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng has definitely shifted the NA LCS landscape. This leaves Doublelift as one of the few remaining players in the region to have competed since the region's first LCS season.

The burden of a veteran

Most players will shrug off the departures of many of their colleagues but WildTurtle holds more regard to his post as a professional player. He believes that he not only has to play well but that he stands as a paragon for the veteran players in the scene in any region. WildTurtle talked to Dot Esports to express his thoughts on the new position that was thrust upon him.

“I think I have a little bit more responsibility as a veteran now considering Bjergsen and Doublelift retired. I definitely feel like I need to make the veterans look good. There's a need for me to put in the extra work and make sure everyone knows that age doesn’t really matter and we can still perform at a very high level.”

The Canadian Carry will be fighting for Counter Logic Gaming in the 2021 season following a three-year stint with FlyQuest. He finished at 9th-12th place in the recently concluded Worlds 2020 tournament alongside FlyQuest. Now he'll be looking to establish himself not only as CLG's new Carry but as a dominant force in the region that shouldn't be counted out.

Slow and Steady

WildTurtle acknowledges his own personal challenges in maintining a high level of play over the years. The Carry states that it's thanks to many hours of solo queue and practice that he has stayed on top of professional League of Legends for such a  long time.

Currently, it doesn't seem like retirement is on WildTurtle's mind as he looks to continue to give his all for NA League of Legends. The region remains the only major league with no world championship wins to speak of. It certainly adds to the pressure for veteran players like WildTurtle as NA collectively tries to win its first Summoner's Cup.