Jang ‘EMENES’ Min-soo, the mid laner for Cloud9, has been at the center of a controversy over remarks he made in a solo queue match which have resulted in him receiving criticism from the League community and content creators alike. The backlash has prompted Cloud9 to respond to the negative feedback directed towards their player.
Over the course of the year, EMENES' journey with Cloud9 has had its ups and downs. He joined the team halfway through the Spring split, standing out with a stellar display that ultimately saw his team win the title. However, he did not maintain the same level of performance and stumbled during the tail end of the Summer split.
Despite his inconsistent performance, he has forged a solid position for himself as the team's mid laner. Allegations of toxic behaviour levied against him by previous teams seem to have been put to rest during his tenure with Cloud9.
Nonetheless, his recent actions in a solo queue match have raised some eyebrows. His alleged 'xenophobic' comments towards streamer 'Spear_shot', who is renowned for his Pantheon one-trick play, led to a ripple of controversy centring around EMENES.
EMENES' Controversial Comments
In a Korean solo queue game, an exchange between EMENES and Spear_shot sparked the controversy. EMENES supposedly referred to Spear_shot as a 'disgusting eu streamer' and advised him to 'go your country plz', leading to allegations of xenophobic behaviour against the Cloud9 mid laner.
Nick 'LS' De Cesare, a streamer and former coach of Cloud9, was prompt in his criticism of EMENES. He opined that EMENES' comments were hypocritical given that he hails from South Korea and has established a career for himself by playing professionally in various countries.
EMENES responded by standing by his comments. He complained of the actions of some 'one trick' streamers who, according to him, engage in game ruining activities for viewer engagement.
EMENES further voiced his opinions in Korean, apologizing if his comments were excessive but made it clear that he has no intentions to extend an apology to Spear_shot.
"I’m not criticizing all streamers, but no matter what server you play on, some ‘broadcasters’ ignore the normal rules of the game and constantly ruin the game when things don’t go their way, and the average player thinks that if they say something to them, they’ll throw it again next time. I am patient. However, I endured the excessive play until the end of the game.", EMENES explained.
He also added that he found it unjust how players receive criticism for comments they make, which are then exploited by others. He apologized to his followers for the overtones in his comments, however, declared that he will not apologize to people, including Spear_shot, who he claims to break the fundamental rules of the game for selfish reasons.
Following the controversy, Cloud9 decided to internally address their player's conduct during the game, stating that they are aware of the situation and investigating internally.
The gaming organization Riot Games, who could potentially sanction administrative action against EMENES, is yet to make an official statement on the matter. The situation will be monitored for further developments.