LoL: Jojopyun Becomes the First North American Player to Win the LEC

Joseph "Jojopyun" Pyun has — already — etched his name into European League of Legends history. The first North American player to be imported into the LEC, Movistar KOI’s midlaner had already made headlines on Saturday, June 8, by becoming the first NA player to qualify for an international event (MSI) with a European team. By helping secure Movistar KOI’s Spring Split title against G2 Esports on Sunday, “Jojo” has now also become the first North American player to win a LEC championship. While he is not the first import to do so — several South Korean players have conquered Europe before him — Jojopyun is, notably, the first imported midlaner to claim the title.

This is not, however, the Canadian player's first major trophy. He previously won the NA LCS with Evil Geniuses in his debut Tier 1 year, during Spring 2022. With this latest accomplishment, Jojopyun also joins an exclusive group of players who have won both the LEC (or the former EU LCS) and the NA LCS. He becomes the sixth player in history to achieve this feat, following five Europeans: Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen (G2 Esports, Cloud9), Sergen "BrokenBlade" Çelik (Team SoloMid, G2 Esports), Luka "Perkz" Perković (G2 Esports, Cloud9), Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau (Fnatic, FlyQuest), and Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer (Cloud9, MAD Lions).

Arriving with a reputation as a strong laner, Jojopyun required several weeks to adjust to life in Berlin. His Winter Split was rather unremarkable, particularly from a statistical standpoint. He ranked only seventh among midlaners in DPM (665.6), and sixth in KDA (3.20). While he gained confidence and contributed to the team’s increased flexibility during drafts in the Spring, his individual numbers remained modest — for instance, finishing eighth in DPM and ninth in DMG/Gold among midlaners for the split.

In truth, Jojopyun’s Spring performance fluctuated between brilliance and inconsistency, a pattern aptly reflected in his play during the final. The Canadian midlaner delivered moments of ingenuity, such as his Ahri charm that interrupted Rasmus “Caps” Winther’s Taliyah ultimate in Game 1, but also more questionable decisions, like his ill-fated Galio Flash-In onto Caps’ Ryze in the following game, which resulted in a solo kill for the Danish midlaner. Regardless of the ups and downs, Jojopyun undeniably fulfilled one of the primary roles for which he had been recruited: enabling his jungler.

Alongside Jojopyun, Javier “Elyoya” Prades rediscovered his form and emerged as MKOI’s true orchestrator, to the point of being named MVP of the final. The synergy between the two proved fruitful, born out of a long series of discussions prior to the season that had convinced Jojopyun to join the team. The stability and support he brought to his jungler had ripple effects across the map. It is likely no coincidence that the botlane duo of David “Supa” García and Álvaro “Alvaro” del Amo evolved into a formidable force just months after the new midlaner’s arrival.