Santorin retires from League of Legends competitive scene

After over a decade in the top-tier League of Legends competitive scene, veteran jungler Lucas “Santorin” Larsen announced his imminent retirement.

Santorin was part of several LCS squads, such as FlyQuest, TSM, and, most recently, Dignitas. However, after more than 10 years, the veteran Danish jungler decided to hang up his mouse and keyboard to open up new opportunities in his future.

Although this player did not shine in all aspects of the game in the LCS, there is no doubt that saying goodbye to a veteran is something that nobody likes.

Santorin announces his retirement from League of Legends competitive scene

Through a post on his Twitter/X account, Santorin announced his imminent retirement from the League of Legends competitive scene.

This is bittersweet to write and feels a bit surreal, but I have decided to retire from professional play.

I’ll never forget my first year in the LCS at Worlds when Dyrus decided to retire and announce it publicly on stage after we were knocked out. His decision shocked me…

— Lucas Larsen (@Santorin) October 8, 2023

All LoL players’ mission is to reach the highest competitive level in their respective regions. That dream was fulfilled in 2013 for Santorin when he signed on to play professionally with Intellectual Playground.

However, as all dreams, whether reality or fiction, come to an end and, last October 8, it ended for the veteran Danish jungler.

While this news surprises many in the LCS community, everything indicates that this decision comes a bit late in his career. In the lengthy post published on Twitter/X, Santorin made mention of all the ups and downs he had throughout his professional LCS career. In addition, he said he missed sharing with family, friends, and, above all, his fiancée. Finally, he mentioned that he could not attend his grandparents’ funeral.

Another veteran hanging up his mouse and keyboard

This 2023 has been a bit nostalgic for all LoL lovers in NA, as we saw how the legend of the game, Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, also announced his retirement from the competitive scene. However, like Bjergsen, Santorin had to decide between his “personal life” and “professional life.”

Right now, Santorin is at a point in his life where he wants to spend more time with his loved ones and is no longer willing to devote everything to League of Legends.

While the 26-year-old veteran player hasn’t been at the top during his 10-year career, we can’t forget his excellent contributions playing with Dignitas, TSM, and FlyQuest. In addition, it is also fair to mention that he played 602 professional games and even won the Rookie of the Year award in 2015 when he played with TSM for the first time in the LCS.

However, like many veteran players who retire in esports, this doesn’t mean goodbye to League of Legends for Santorin. From now on, we can enjoy his experience and eloquence through his streams, where Santorin looks forward to playing LoL and other video games.

Header: Riot Games