Image: Ubisoft/Joao Ferreira
Just days after Invictus Gaming coach Ellis "GiG" Hindle announced that he is set to leave the team, star player Matin "SpeakEasy" Yunos has announced that his time with iG is at an end.
SpeakEasy has been one of the best players in APAC since he joined this Invictus roster back when it played under Aerowolf in Season 9 of the ESL Pro League. With this team, he has attended one Pro League Finals, two Six Invitationals, two Six Majors, and one Minor.
In Stage 2 of the 2022 season, SpeakEasy was eighth-best in APAC South by SiegeGG Rating, though he was unequivocally the best in Stage 1 with a 1.42 Rating -- 0.15 Rating points higher than second-best.
SpeakEasy was also the best player by SiegeGG Rating and K-D in Stages 2 and 3 of the 2021 season and was fifth-best by Rating at the Mexico Major (though his team failed to make it to the playoffs).
The Singaporean's departure comes as a shock to many, given the heavy investment of Invictus Gaming into the formation of the so-called "super-team" where two hot-prospect Australians were signed, alongside veteran Fnatic and former Aerowolf player Patrick "MentalistC" Fan.
Given his form and prowess, it is likely he is snapped up by another APAC South team for Stage 3. It is likely he would have also attracted attention from international teams as well, as he had from Parabellum Esports prior to the start of this season, but his National Service obligations are a certain barrier to him moving abroad.
The move also marks the end of the HysteRiX-SpeakEasy duo that stretched back until Feb. 2019 and leaves the team searching for a replacement player and a potential replacement coach.