OCE Star Suspended on Eve of LoL World Championships
By Zac Cameron ·
Just days before they were due to take the stage and represent their region at the League of Legends World Championships, the Dire Wolves have been dealt a heavy blow with their star jungler suspended.
League of Legends Oceanic Pro Players and Competitive Rulings. Name a more iconic duo. Just days before the Play-In stage of the 2018 World Championships begins, OCE fans have been dealt a cruel blow, with talented and popular jungler Shern “Shernfire” Tai suspended for two games and fined for in-game toxicity.
Having previously been suspended for toxicity whilst practicing in Korea, Shernfire has once again earned the ire of Riot Games by engaging in behavior unbecoming of a pro-player and representative of the region. Riot Games has not revealed the nature of the comments that warranted this response, but did point out that “Specifically, Shernfire verbally abused family members of players in his games, which is considered incredibly insensitive and insulting in Korean culture.”
Chris ‘Belquin’ Schubert, head of esports for the Oceanic region, issued an additional statement on the official OPL website, explaining the disappointment the OPL team feels not only to the players affected, but also to the fans who were looking forward to seeing the Dire Wolves take on the world at the upcoming tournament.
“The behaviour exhibited by Shern was unacceptable and below what Oceanic fans deserve; I personally take this lapse of judgement as a failure on my part to set our players up for success in meeting the standard we strive for in the OPL. If one of our top players can succumb to negative behaviour on the Rift, we need to work more effectively to help all players take control of their actions,” wrote Belquin. “For this, I apologise to you. On behalf of the OPL teams, coaching staff and Riot OCE, we are committed to help the pro players understand their behaviour, improve, and to overcome these moments in a more positive way in the future.”
Shernfire will miss the first two matches of the Play-In tournament, returning on Day 3 providing nothing else goes wrong. For more information on the event, check out our viewing guide, here.