Bwipo will miss the 2023 Spring Split

The prominent LCS top laner  Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau will miss the 2023 LCS Spring Split after he failed to find a new LCS team.

Bwipo revealed during his stream that he will remain a part of Liquid but as a content creator. The star top laner plans to give his all in the solo queue and champions queue throughout the upcoming split to find a new team before the Summer Split. Bwipo had a terrible season with Liquid’s superteam, which forced the organization to make hard choices, apparently starting with cutting ties with the star top laner. According to reports, before deciding to take a hiatus from the competitive scene, Bwipo approached several LCS teams but was turned down each time. 

Bwipo’s move to LCS has had a rocky start

Bwipo quickly become one of the most popular top laner in the game since making his remarkable LEC debut in 2018 and making it to the World Championship finals in his first season of tier-one competitive play. The 23-year-old veteran made four appearances in LEC grand finals while with Fnatic before moving to North America to compete in the LCS. Bwipo joined Team Liquid to compete in the LCS in one of the most thrilling rosters to ever come out of North America. 

The North American organization assembled a superteam in preparation for the LCS Spring Split which included legendary mid laner Soren ‘Bjergsen’ Bjerg and world champion support Jo ‘CoreJJ’ Yongin. The super team had a dominating start to the 2023 season, topping the LCS Spring Split regular season before getting trounced in the playoffs. It was the Summer split, however, that dealt the team its biggest blow, when it faltered against 100 Thieves and EG, losing its spot at the 2022 Worlds. As the super team’s season came to a harsh end, Liquid’s CEO Steve Arhancet dropped clear hints about a possible makeover, which sparked speculations that Bwipo might leave soon.

Bwipo will return to add more to his legacy

Bwipo wants to remain in North America and continue creating content for Team Liquid despite all the disappointments and turbulence he experienced in the LCS during the 2022 season. Although Liquid has not yet provided an official confirmation, the veteran himself announced the news while streaming, stating that he won’t be returning on stage for the upcoming split.

The Belgian mid laner will continue to be a part of Liquid as a content creator during the upcoming Spring Split. He will stream his own solo queue and Champion’s Queue matches as he grinds and prepares himself to rejoin a team for the Summer Split. Former Cloud9 top laner Park “Summit” Woo-tae has been reported as a possible replacement for Bwipo as the North American organization aims to get back on its feet with a new LCS lineup.

Header: LCS