Vulcan (gamer)

Vulcan was invited to the LCS proving grounds following the 2018 season, in which he showcased his skills, as well as his communication and teamwork.^[3] He was drafted fourth overall by Clutch Gaming, which gave the organization exclusive negotiation rights with Vulcan.^[4] Vulcan signed with Clutch, and entered the 2019 LCS season as their starting support, making his debut on January 26.^[5] The team had a rough start, going 5–13 in his first season, missing playoffs. Due to the team's poor performance, Vulcan's bot lane partner Piglet was released,^[6] and AD Carry Cody Sun was signed as his replacement.^[7] In the summer split, Vulcan and Clutch made playoffs as the fifth seed, and finished fourth overall, after losing the third place match to Counter Logic Gaming.^[8][9] However they qualified for the regional gauntlet as the lowest seeded team,^[10] and proceeded to defeat FlyQuest,^[11] Counter Logic Gaming,^[12] and Team SoloMid^[13] in consecutive matches to qualify for the third and final spot in the 2019 League of Legends World Championship.^[14] However at worlds, Clutch were unable to win a game in the group stage, becoming the first North American team to go 0–6.^[15]

In the 2019 off season, Cloud9 acquired Vulcan for a reported US$1.5 Million buyout.^[16] After several months boot–camping in Korea,^[17] Vulcan and his new bot lane partner Zven dominated the rest of the LCS in 2020,^{[17][18][19][20]} and Cloud9 went 17–1 on the season, with Vulcan and the entire C9 roster winning First Team All–Pro.^[21] Vulcan also received several MVP votes, although the award ultimately went to his teammate Blaber.^[22] The team went on to sweep FlyQuest in the finals, and Vulcan won his first LCS title.^[23] MSI 2020 was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,^[24] so the next time Vulcan played was in the 2020 summer split, where he picked up a Second Team All–Pro award for his regular season performance.^[25] Despite their impressive spring split, Cloud9 lost in playoffs, finishing fourth and missing out on Worlds 2020, the first year Vulcan did not attend.^[26]

In the 2021 LCS season, Vulcan was awarded another Second Team All–Pro in the spring split,^[27] after Cloud9 accrued a league best 13–5 record.^[28] The team went on to win another split after defeating Team Liquid in the Mid Season Showdown, Vulcan's second title.^[29] Due to their spring victory, Cloud9 qualified for the 2021 Mid Season Invitational in Iceland.^[30] The team succeeded in the group stage,^[31] but did not make is past the rumble stage, bowing out in fifth.^[32] In the summer of LCS, Vulcan was selected to the Third Team All–Pro as Cloud9 made playoffs,^[33] and despite falling out of the upper bracket early, Cloud9 qualified for Worlds after wins over Golden Guardians, Evil Geniuses, and Team SoloMid.^[34] At the World Championship, Cloud9 made it to the quarterfinals,^[35] before losing 3–0 to Gen.G, finishing 5th-8th, Vulcan's best international finish.^[36]

Vulcan joined Evil Geniuses for the 2022 season,^[37] and noted that despite his respect for Zven, he wanted to try a new lane partner after two years together on Cloud9.^[38] He won his second LCS title during the 2021 LCS Spring Season, beating 100 Thieves 3–0 in the finals.^[39]