TL;DR
- Bjergsen and Doublelift withdrew from 2019 All-Stars for boot camp and content creation respectively
- Sneaky and Bang will represent LCS as third and fourth fan picks
- Community criticism focuses on import rules and underdeveloped NA talent pipeline
- Only one of three LCS All-Star representatives is a native North American player
- LCS faces systemic challenges including ping issues and amateur scene development

The League of Legends Championship Series faces significant representation changes at the 2019 All-Star event as two of its most prominent figures have opted out of participation. Veteran mid laner Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and star ADC Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, both fan favorites, will not be attending the prestigious showcase. Their absence creates opportunities for Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi and Bae “Bang” Jun-sik to step into the spotlight as alternative representatives.
Team SoloMid’s franchise player Bjergsen, whorecently expanded his role to include partial ownership stakes in the organization, communicated via Twitter that scheduling conflicts with intensive training camps prevent his attendance.
“Unfortunately, I cannot participate in this year’s All-Star festivities due to prior commitments for team boot camps in Shanghai,” Bjergsen explained in his social media post. “I genuinely value the support from our community and remain grateful for your unwavering loyalty during both successful and challenging periods.”
Doubleliftproduced a comprehensive YouTube videoexpressing appreciation for his fan votes while indicating his preference to experience the event from a relaxed spectator perspective. Despite being the community’s top selection, Team Liquid’s renowned bot laner plans to focus on content production and casual enjoyment rather than competitive participation.
Sneaky and Bang Step Into All-Star Spotlight
Evil Geniuses’ newly acquired bot laner Bang and Cloud9’s former marksman Sneaky will represent the North American region as the third and fourth highest vote recipients respectively. Sneaky, celebrated throughout the esports community for his elaborate character cosplays,engaged with his supporters through social media platformsconfirming his acceptance while soliciting suggestions for which persona he should embody during this year’s presentation.
Bang, previously a championship-winning player for Korean powerhouse T1, entered the LCS ecosystem last season as an international acquisition for 100 Thieves. He prepares to commence the 2020 competitive year with Evil Geniuses. The veteran competitordistributed a brief announcementinforming his fanbase about his confirmed participation in the upcoming showcase event.
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Community Voices Concerns About LCS Structural Issues
North American squads encountered substantial difficulties during the recent World Championship tournament, and with offseason roster reconstruction activities receiving heightened scrutiny, numerous community members are voicing criticisms regarding the fundamental architecture of the regional competitive landscape. Franchises maintain authorization for two overseas competitors or imported talents, and segments of the fanbase contend this practice reduces developmental opportunities for domestic North American prospects. The underdeveloped semi-professional ecosystem and technical challenges related to in-game latency throughout North America frequently emerge in these discussions, accompanied by assertions that insufficient investment occurs in cultivating homegrown talent within the territory.
This structural concern becomes particularly evident when examining the All-Star delegation composition, where two of the three LCS representatives originate from Korea. Both Bang and support specialist Jo “CoreJJ” Yong hail from the Korean competitive scene, leaving only Sneaky as a domestically developed competitive product.
Understanding these systemic challenges can help players appreciate the complexities of professional esports ecosystems, much like analyzing game mechanics in our Complete Guide provides comprehensive understanding of in-game systems and strategic frameworks.
The current situation highlights several critical challenges facing North American League of Legends. The region’s reliance on imported talent, while providing immediate competitive benefits, may hinder long-term development of domestic players. Organizations must balance the pursuit of international success with investment in local talent pipelines to ensure sustainable competitive relevance.
Practical solutions include establishing structured developmental leagues, improving practice infrastructure to address ping limitations, and creating clearer pathways for amateur players to transition into professional competition.
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Common mistakes in analyzing these situations include overemphasizing individual player decisions rather than examining systemic factors. A more productive approach involves analyzing how infrastructure investments, coaching development, and amateur scene support can collectively address the underlying challenges.
Advanced players should consider how these structural issues parallel challenges in other competitive ecosystems, providing valuable perspective on sustainable esports development models.
Action Checklist
- Monitor official LCS announcements for upcoming developmental league initiatives
- Research import player impact by analyzing team performance metrics pre and post acquisitions
- Engage with community discussions while maintaining constructive criticism focused on solutions
- Analyze amateur scene development by following collegiate and academy league competitions
- Compare NA infrastructure challenges with solutions implemented in other competitive regions
No reproduction without permission:Game Guides Online » Doublelift, Bjergsen among LCS stars pulling out of All-Stars 2019 LCS All-Star roster changes spark community debate about North American talent development
