Welcome to North America, SwordArt. TSM owner Andy "Reginald" Dinh revealed in an interview with The Washington Post today that the team has signed Taiwanese star SwordArt to a two-year, $6 million contract.
Reginald said the 23-year-old's impressive play at the 2020 League of Legends World Championship was the factor behind his decision to sign him for the next two years. Also, "learning that Bjergsen has retired made this a good time to invest," he said.
"I think there's a lot of pressure on the players that SwordArt is going to play," Reginald said. "He's a World Championship finalist and there is maximum expectation to play with a player of this caliber."
This $6 million deal is currently believed to be the largest in LCS history, eclipsing previous contracts like Jensen's three-year $4.2 million extension with Team Liquid. But Reginald thinks it will be "a really small investment ten years from now" for a team ready to create an even greater legacy.
The former TSM mid player has also doubled the cost of the organization's upcoming 2021 roster, calling the "big target World Finals" where the quarterfinals are a realistic target for next year. Those are high expectations for a roster that hasn't played a single game together, but LCS fans are thrilled to hear this confidence from Reginald.
He had won this Offseason after retired Bjergsen and Doublelift. As several new faces join the team, many expect great success from NA's most successful organizations in 2021.