by in
Lucas ‘Santorin’ Larsen, a veteran European and LCS champion in the world of professional League of Legends, has officially announced his retirement ahead of the 2024 LCS season.
Santorin’s remarkable career spans nearly a decade, with a journey that started in 2013.
Although he initially gained recognition in Europe, his career truly took off when he joined the LA LCS in 2014.
Playing alongside iconic names like Bjergsen and Dyrus, Santorin achieved impressive domestic success with TSM and established himself as one of the premier junglers in 2015.
Santorin’s career has seen its fair share of ups and downs, marked by notable highs and lows.
He consistently delivered strong performances, earning him a reputation as one of the top junglers in North America, despite a brief hiatus due to health concerns.
Over time, however, his dominance began to wane. His stint with Dignitas proved particularly challenging and would ultimately be his last professional team.
In 2023, Santorin parted ways with Team Liquid and sought new opportunities.
He joined Dignitas in an attempt to form a “super team” alongside İrfan ‘Armut’ Tükek and Nicolas ‘Jensen’ Jensen.
Unfortunately, Dignitas fell far short of expectations in the spring of 2023, finishing last with a 3-15 record.
Although they showed improvement in the summer split recording seven wins and 11 losses, they were unable to secure a playoff spot.
After enduring two challenging seasons with Dignitas, Santorin has decided to step away from professional play and shift his focus to full-time streaming.
In his retirement announcement, he expressed heartfelt gratitude to his fans and hoped for their continued support in this new streaming journey.
Santorin’s retirement marks the end of a remarkable 10-year career in professional League of Legends, during which he played for teams such as TSM, FlyQuest, and finally, Dignitas.
While his retirement may have surprised many LCS fans, Santorin’s decision had been brewing for some time.
In his announcement, he opened up about the personal sacrifices and challenges he faced as a professional player, including missing important family events and dealing with health issues.
Like several other retired League pros, Santorin reached a point where he had to choose between his personal life and his professional career.
Despite the lows he encountered in his career, Santorin also enjoyed numerous highlights.
These include competing at the highest level with renowned teams, playing a total of 602 professional games throughout his career, and earning the title of “rookie of the split” when he first entered the North American competitive scene with TSM back in the 2015 LCS season.
Although Santorin won’t be gracing the pro stage anymore, he plans to transition to full-time streaming while continuing to play League and other esports titles, ensuring that fans can still enjoy his presence in the gaming world.
This is bittersweet to write and feels a bit surreal, but I have decided to retire from professional play.
I'll never forget my first year in the LCS at Worlds when Dyrus decided to retire and announce it publicly on stage after we were knocked out. His decision shocked me…
— Lucas Larsen (@Santorin) October 8, 2023
