Early today, professional League of Legends player Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong announced his immediate retirement from the professional esports scene.
The news comes during his free agency, after his time at SKT came to an end at the end of the 2019 World Championship Semifinal. After the team was eliminated during the semifinal, Mata announced that he would be leaving SKT after his year on their team, pursuing free agency.
Sadly, it seems that no teams decided that they wanted to pick up the support titan. Left teamless as teams began to lock in their rosters for the 2020 season, it seems that Mata instead took the chance to retire.
Mata has been one of the most prolific and legendary players on the scene since his professional debut with BBT back in October of 2012. Since then, he’s played for multiple teams, such as Samsung White, RNG, and KT Rolster. SKT has been his final playing ground with the support main now ending his tenure.
Star support Cho "Mata" Se-hyung has decided to leave @KTRolster_tw to become a free agent:https://t.co/zc88flzZ5q pic.twitter.com/3RwH5q7e1v
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) November 13, 2018
The support main has plenty of accolades and awards under his belt. In 2018 and 2019 alone, Mata brought home the LCK 2018 Summer and LCK 2018 Summer Playoff trophies, finishing first place while still with KT Rolster. After joining SKT, Mata spent this year winning LCK 2019 Spring Playoffs and the Rift Rivals 2019 tournament.
Speaking during his announcement (seemingly about not being picked up by any teams), Mata had the following to say:
“It felt good that winning the championship got me more money and career, but what was even better was that I was able to feel all the interest and support of the fans. On the other hand, there were many regretful moments that I could have done well… I would like to play in matches right now, and I’m confident, but it does feel a bit bitter.”
Frankly, it’s very surprising that no teams wanted to add the legendary support to their rosters for the 2020 season. Mata is known to be one of the best Thresh mains in the world, rivaling even MadLife with his incredible plays. He’s also one of the handful of players with multiple accounts that are in Challenger, each maining a different role.
Given how multitalented and superb of a player Mata is, you would think at least one team would want to snag him. The experience that he brings to a team alone would be worth having.
It remains unknown what Mata intends to do with his time or if he intends to involve himself in the esports scene in other capacities.
