Team Liquid will not execute on its plan to split time in its mid-lane position between Greyson "Goldenglue" Gilmer and Austin "Link" Shin, and Link will move out of the team house this week, the team confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.
Liquid is currently also pursuing former Team Dignitas coach David "Cop" Roberson and former Big Gods support Kevin "KonKwon" Kwon as player substitutes who will not actively rotate or live in the team house, according to sources close to all parties. Team Liquid declined to comment on Cop and KonKwon.
The team attempted to split practice time between Goldenglue and Link over the past few weeks but found the results were not adequate for Link to transition to the League Championship Series stage.
As a result, Link will return to his family home in the San Francisco area but remain as a listed and paid substitute on Team Liquid, in accordance with Riot Games' policy on substitutes. Liquid told ESPN it's willing to facilitate transfers for the player if another team has interest.
"We split scrims and also provided some focused solo queue practice, but the results were not there to support making a change in the mid-lane starting position at this time," Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet told ESPN. "We will continue to strive for excellence for the team to compete at the highest level and have to make decisions with the information for results in the timeframes we want them. Austin has an impeccable work ethic, extremely intelligent player and glad we will be maintaining the substitute position with him in just a different capacity."
Link, the mid-laner known for his time on Counter Logic Gaming, first joined Liquid on Jan. 5. The team intended to rotate him with Goldenglue in the mid-lane position, it announced at the time.
Before playing for Gravity Gaming and coaching Team Dignitas, Cop was the AD carry for Curse, the League of Legends team that merged with Team Liquid in December 2014. If the agreement with Liquid is completed, he will once again work with Arhancet, who at the time was the sole owner of Team Curse.