Former DPS player LEETAEJUN has returned to the official roster for Lunatic-Hai, OGN revealed in their official roster announcement earlier this week. His return marks the end of a planned retirement from the competitive community that began in February.
LEETAEJUN announced his retirement from the competitive scene at the beginning of APEX Season 2, along with fellow Lunatic-hai teammate Dean, after a whirlwind of drama erupted in the Korean community over their interactions with female fans. Evidence of inappropriate conversations with multiple fans, some allegedly young women in the case of Dean, sparked a major lashback which resulted in both players being suspended and then eventually retiring from the entire competitive scene.
The furor from the fanbase and pressure on the organisation subsided after both players retired and issued formal apologies, and Lunatic-Hai were able to continue with minor adjustments to their roster, winning the following two seasons of APEX in incredible fashion.
In the case of LEETAEJUN, the former professional player continued his career as a popular streamer in Korea. His public image was additionally aided by reports that a key component of the evidence against him was fabricated by a female friend with a vendetta, calming the outcry.
After those two incredible seasons with Zunba, WhoRU, and Gido that ended with consecutive APEX championship victories, Lunatic-Hai have added LEETAEJUN back onto the roster. It’s unclear what role he will play in the team; coach alwaysoov has already proven he has a fearless attitude to subbing players on and off the bench.
The primary reason Lunatic-Hai improved dramatically between APEX Season 1 and 2 was their roster shuffle. This was not just because they drafted in formidable talent in Zunba and WhoRU but also because they were rid of the inconsistency of their two dropped players. LEETAEJUN was known as a mediocre player across the board, used primarily for his Roadhog and Tracer which were both sub-par for an elite team.
LEETAEJUN appears to have become far better than his previous form in the downtime though, peaking this season on the Korean ladder as the #1 SR using mostly Tracer. His addition will give Lunatic-Hai a range of styles on Tracer to use as well as opening up another potential Genji and Roadhog - along with any other heroes LEETAEJUN has been grinding in his absence. The roster lacks any strict contingency plan if a support or tank must be subbed out however, but alwaysoov has previously discussed this, saying he trains his players on other roles so they can fill in an emergency.
The defending champion APEX Season 4 roster for Lunatic-Hai is:
- Kim "EscA" In Jae (DPS)
- Moon "Gido" Gi-Do (DPS)
- Lee "Whoru" Seung Joon (DPS)
- Lee ”LEETAEJUN” Tae-jun (DPS)
- Kim "zunba" Joon Hyuk (Flex)
- Gong "Miro" Jin Hyuk (Tank)
- Ryu "ryujehong" Je Hong (Support)
- Yang "tobi" Jin Mo (Support)
- Chae ”alwaysoov” Ho-jeong (Coach)