Gentle Mates have found their botlane for 2024! Support Kamil "kamilius" Košťál and AD Carry Jeong "BAO" Hyeon-woo have reached a verbal agreement with the new LFL organization. This information was told by sources to Sheep Esports.
The reason this move comes in so late for the LFL offseason is because both were waiting for the LEC. Indeed, kamilius was one support part of the
LEC musical chair dance. On the other hand, BAO had a verbal agreement with Gentle Mates for several weeks. This agreement between BAO and M8 had a clause allowing him to explore LEC & LCS offers, However, the limit date for this clause has now expired.
BAO in Europe
A former DRX player, BAO first moved to the EMEA region in summer of 2022, where he competed for the storied Turkish organization Fenerbahçe. During his time there, he would go on to turn a shaky group stage result into a clutch playoffs performance, narrowly missing Worlds by losing 2 : 3 to İstanbul Wildcats (IW) in the finals. Since then, BAO has amassed a large audience of Turkish fans and has risen as one of the region's most prominent up and coming talents.
In 2023, BAO took on a new challenge by joining IW and proceeding to sweep the Turkish Championship League (TCL) twice in a row and claiming an EMEA Masters title in spring. While the team's summer performances did not match their spring results, BAO was still considered as one of the most impressive players in his position.
Despite not making it to the LEC this time, BAO's aim to conquer the EMEA Regional Leagues is clear as he now sets his sights onto the LFL. A repeat of his previously strong performances in the TCL could seal the deal for the South-Korean player to potentially facilitate an entry into the LEC later this year.
A top support in ERL
For two consecutive offseasons now, kamilius has been in talks with LEC teams. Despite this, kamilius has kept on improving upon his already impressive results in the LFL.
In 2022, kamilius entered the LFL with GameWard after years of competition in other leagues. The first split with GameWard was challenging, as the team finished in eighth place. Despite this result, kamilius and his team significantly improved, qualifying all the way to the EMEA Masters in Summer. At the event, GameWard achieved the impressive result of reaching the semifinals before losing to Team BDS Academy.
This year, kamilius joined a super LFL roster with Team GO. While GO didn't manage to lift any trophies this year, they had consistently good results throughout the year. This time, kamilius qualified for both the Spring and Summer EMEA Masters. In Spring, kamilius reached the quarterfinals. For Summer, kamilius once again reached the semifinals. However, with team GO, he lost once again, concluding with a score of 2-3 against Karmine Corp.
Despite not making it into the LEC, kamilius will have the opportunity to lift his first LFL and EMEA Masters trophies alongside a strong roster.
Built to dominate the 2024 LFL
Gentle Mates are the latest organization to join the LFL. Coming in with large ambitions, M8 is an organization led by prominent French influencers. While very young, the French organization is also known for having shocked the world through the VALORANT Challengers League, winning the Ascension tournament and moving up to compete in the VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA League in 2024-2025.
With these aggressive moves, M8 looks to cement themselves as one of the fastest rising organizations in European esports. For BAO who just came short of entering the LEC, the goal is clear: Win the LFL & achieve his second EM title in the spring of 2024.
Current Gentle Mates roster:
Top: Ragner
Jungle: White
Mid: Eika
Adc: BAO
Support: kamilius
Head Coach: Hansen
Assistant Coach: Donby
