Almost 14 Years and It's Over. Wildturtle Announces Retirement

Another player from the old guard of League of Legends has announced the end of his career. Jason "WildTurtle" Tran has announced his retirement. His adventure with professional LoL lasted almost 14 years.

His departure marks the end of an era for many fans who have followed his journey since his early days. However, the competitive landscape of League of Legends continues to evolve, and new talents will rise soon.

Legend of the American Scene Hangs Up His Mouse

WildTurtle is a player who probably needs no introduction. He is definitely better known to the older audience, who have been following esports games for a long time.

The beginning of the Canadian's career dates back to the end of 2011, but he reached the highest level in the spring of 2013. That was also when he joined TSM. Interestingly, in his debut split, he reached the NA LoL Championship Series. 

And for many years in the colors of this organization, he was at the top. He has appeared at world-class events many times, reporting to them four times at the world championships. His best result at Worlds was in 2014, when he and his team reached the quarterfinals.

However, his greatest success came a few months later. With him in their ranks, TSM triumphed at the Intel Extreme Masters Season 9 World Championship, a tournament held in Katowice.

However, recent years have not been the best. WildTurtle has bounced between different formations, representing FlyQuest and Immortals, for example. Two years ago, he even rejoined TSM, but the results left much to be desired. Last year, he decided to join Shopify Rebellion, but he played only the first two matches for the team.

Later, he worked more as a streamer and reserve shooter. Eventually, he even became SR's coach, but not for long. Now, a video has appeared on the organization's profile, revealing that the 30-year-old is ending his career.

What's Next for WildTurtle?

- Hi, this is WildTurtle, and this is my first retirement video and probably my last. I'm pretty nervous about leaving esports, as it's been a big part of my life. It's bittersweet to be here and tell you that I'm closing this chapter. [...] I turned 30 last week, and I think it's a good time to put a full stop. I'm ready for the next stage - Tran confesses in the video. 

The Canadian summed up his long-standing path in esports and finally revealed a bit more about what he plans to do in the near future. He mentioned that he wants to focus much more on his daily life and spend time with his loved ones. However, he doesn't want to completely leave the industry and intends to help new players enter the scene, but only after a long break.

The First Stand Semi-Finals Are Behind Us. KC and HLE are in the Final

The First Stand semi-finals are behind us, and so is the penultimate day of the debut edition of this tournament. Karmine Corp, the League of Legends EMEA Championship champions, and Hanwha Life Esports – the LoL Champions Korea winners – have advanced to the final clash. KC stops a reverse sweep attempt.

At first, it seemed that KC would take easy revenge for their defeat to CTBC Flying Oyster during the group stage in the First Stand semi-final series. In the first game, the Oysters had little to say, collecting only three kills in 35 minutes.

The second was an even bigger stomp and ended with a 24-1 scoreline in favor of the LEC representatives. It was therefore difficult to predict that this duel would... border on a reverse sweep.

And yet! CFO pulled themselves together and triumphed in the next two fights, bringing the whole duel to a decisive BO1. And it was almost that the Asia-Pacific champions would also reach for victory in this one.

The Taiwanese teamfight composition took the lead in gold and really made KC suffer in the fights. Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert and his companions, on the other hand, found a way to turn the tide of the game and finally took revenge on their rivals, thus reporting to the grand finale.

HLE Runs Over Rivals

In the case of the match between Hanwha Life Esports and Top Esports, there was no hope left and no comebacks from TES. At the very beginning, we were dealing with the most one-sided game, in which HLE took a significant lead after only a dozen or so minutes and achieved it in less than half an hour.

In the second, it looked a bit better for the Chinese champions. The gold was almost equal for over fifteen minutes, but when the team fights came, it was once again a one-man show. Only Bai "369" Jia-Hao seemed to pose any threat to the opponents, but what can Renekton do on his own?

As for the third game, it was there that the TES players could see their greatest chances. The early stages of the game went according to their plans, and the difference in funds after less than 30 minutes was approaching three thousand - this time in their favor.

However, the lost battle for the dragon ended the dreams of the LoL Pro League champions to extend this series. HLE took Baron on this occasion and finished the work of destruction in less than five minutes, advancing to the final duel with KC without losing a point.