One of European League of Legends’ most well-known coaches, Jakob "YamatoCannon" Mebdi, announced that he will join Korea’s SANDBOX Gaming as head coach.
It's true - Yamato's going to the LCK
In a recent announcement, the former member of the LEC casting team has confirmed that he has signed as the LCK team as their head coach from this Summer split. The move was confirmed on the Korean team's social media as well.
#official paenbundeulggeseo gunggeumhaehasyeossdeon bubune daehae cugaro annaedeuribnida.-We are delighted to announce that a former Team Vitality head coach and LEC analyst Jakob "YamatoCannon" Mebdi has been appointed as the new head coach of SANDBOX Gaming. pic.twitter.com/5MpFVRvQoF
— Liiv SANDBOX (@LiivSANDBOX) May 15, 2020
This is a remarkable move as until now, no LCK team has had a European head coach. However, it is possible that SANDBOX’s poor season has forced them to think outside the box. The team had a fairly successful 2019 and almost went to Worlds, then made it all the way to the finals in the KESPA Cup this winter. However, they struggled in the spring season, ending in 9th place and having to retain their LCK spot in the promotion tournament. Head coach Kang "Laden" Byung-ho departed in April, leading the team to look for a replacement before the summer season started in June.
The prodigal coach
YamatoCannon, meanwhile, had amassed a rather storied resume as a player, coach and caster. The Swede was a notable challenger-level player in 2012 and 2013, winning or placing highly in several events and even having a short stint in the then-EU LCS as the top laner for the now-defunct Dragonborns team. Since transitioning to coach in 2015 - at the ripe old age of 19 - he has been one of the more well-known figures on the scene. In his coaching career, he has worked with three - Roccat, Splyce and Team Vitality - and seen to multiple playoffs. While he does not have a championship trophy to his name, he has been on the world stage twice - with Splyce in 2016 and Team Vitality in 2018. After parting ways with Vitality following the 2019 summer season, he joined the LEC cast, showing both his game knowledge and, on occasion, his artistic talent.
Such a hiring is unprecedented in LCK history. The only well-known Western coach in Korea- Nick “LS” De Cesare - only became head coach for bbq Olivers after the team was relegated to the challenger circuit. We wish YamatoCannon great success with his new team - though both his analysis and dancing skills will be sorely missed at the LEC!
The League of Legends European Championship will be back on June 12th. In the meantime, you can follow our coverage of League news here.