Xpecial

Lore & Background

Xpecial began his professional career with Team SoloMid. In May 2013, during Season 3, he was selected to join the North American All-Star team in Shanghai. On March 23, 2014, he was awarded the Week 9 MVP. On April 27, 2014, he announced he was being benched from Team SoloMid's main roster, and on May 4, he announced he had been released and was joining Team Curse. The release was later attributed to his 'passive-aggressive attitude,' though he later retracted that statement. In 2015, Team Curse merged with Team Liquid. After the spring split, Liquid finished sixth and placed third in playoffs. In the summer split, Liquid finished first in the round robin but lost in the semifinals. In September 2015, Xpecial confirmed his benching from Team Liquid and later became a free agent. In 2016, he joined Apex Gaming, which won the 2016 Spring NA CS. In September 2016, Apex Gaming and Team Dignitas were acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers, and players were transferred to Dignitas. Chu began his coaching career as a coach for Golden Guardians in the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split. In June 2019, he joined Harrisburg University full-time as the university's varsity League of Legends coach, parting ways in July 2022.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights dimmed to a low amber. The crowd noise had settled into that particular hum—the one that means the next round will be the one they remember. Xpecial sat back in the chair, fingers hovering over the mouse, eyes half-closed for just a breath. The coach's voice crackled through the comms: "They're stacking mid again. You know what to do."

A slow exhale. The fingers found the mouse. The screen bloomed back to life, and for the next forty seconds the world narrowed to a crosshair, a heartbeat, and the soft click of a key. When the round ended, the arena erupted. Xpecial didn't smile. They just nodded, once, and turned back to the screen. The Cloud9 logo on the jersey caught the stage light one more time before the next map loaded.

Reader's Guide

Xpecial is not associated with Cloud9. The source article mentions no affiliation with Cloud9.

Did You Know?

• Xpecial received second place in the Bottom Lane Skill Competition at the 2013 All-Star event.
• He was awarded Week 9 MVP in 2014 for having the highest KDA of the week, 11.5.
• Team Liquid finished first in the 2015 NA LCS summer split round robin, the first team other than TSM or Cloud9 to do so.
• Xpecial briefly played with Cloud9's new Challenger team but it did not work out.