Hans Sama

Steven Liv, better known as Hans Sama, is a French professional League of Legends player for G2 Esports. Liv has previously played for Team Liquid in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), as well as Rogue and Misfits in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).

Hans Sama
Hans in 2023
Current team
Team	G2 Esports
Role	Bot Laner
Game	League of Legends
League	LEC
Personal information
Name	Steven Liv
Born	(1999-09-02) September 2, 1999 (age 24)
Nationality	French
Team history
2016–2019	Misfits
2020–2021	Rogue
2022–2022	Team Liquid
2023–present	G2 Esports
Career highlights and awards
3x LEC champion 2x LEC 1st All-Pro Team LCS Lock-In champion 1x LCS 1st All-Pro Team

Professional career

Misfits

Hans joined Misfits at age 16, in June 2016.^[1][2] At the time, Misfits was a new organization in the European Challenger Series (CS).^[3] The team placed first in the CS regular season, and were eligible for the European promotion tournament, where they defeated FC Schalke 04 and claimed their spot in the EU LCS; the highest level of professional play in Europe.^[4] At the end of the year, Hans signed a 2-year contract with Misfits, before even playing a single game in the EU LCS.^[2]

The following year, Hans and Misfits found spring success, qualifying for playoffs and reaching the Semifinals,^[5] and in summer, they made it all the way to the finals match,^[6] before falling to G2.^[7] However, due to their combined fourth and second place finishes, the team automatically qualified for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship as Europe's second seed.^[8] At Worlds 2017, Misfits advanced past the group stage with a 3–3 record, and met tournament favorites SKT T1 in the Quarterfinals.^[9] Despite being heavy underdogs, Hans and Misfits held up against the Korean squad, taking the series to a full five games before losing a close Game 5,^[10] and drew praise from the league community for their impressive showing, despite the loss.^[11][12][13]

After proving themselves a contender on the international stage, Misfits performed poorly in spring 2018, and finished the regular season with an 8–10 record, missing playoffs.^[14] In summer they rebounded enough to return to the postseason, but finished in fourth after losing the third place match to Vitality.^[15] Due to his team's results, Hans did not attend Worlds in 2018.^[16]

In 2019, Misfits brought together an impressive lineup, including sOAZ, Febiven, and GorillA, while retaining Hans and Maxlore, and were expected to once again be competitive internationally.^[17][18] However the team flopped, placing eighth in spring and ninth in summer, with a combined 12–21 record on the year, making no playoff appearances and attending no international events.^[19][20] Halfway through the summer split, Misfits substituted out the entire starting roster, including Hans, but did not see improvement.^[21][22] Misfits broke up after an extremely disappointing 2019 season, and Hans left the team.^[23][24][25]

Rogue

Hans joined Rogue ahead of the 2020 LEC season.^[25][26][27] In the spring split, Rogue made the playoffs, claiming the last spot with a 9–9 record, but lost in the second round.^[28] In summer however, Rogue went 13–5 achieving first place in the LEC and qualifying for Worlds 2020.^[29] But in the first round of the playoffs, they were swept by Fnatic and dropped to the lower bracket.^[30] They won their next series against MAD Lions,^[31] before losing to G2 and finishing third,^[32] giving them the third seed at the World Championship.^[33] At the tournament, Rogue went 1–5 in the group stage, placing last in their group and finishing 13th–14th.^[34]

In January 2021, Hans resigned with Rogue through the end of the 2022 season.^[35] When spring started, Hans and Rogue once again enjoyed regular season success, going 14–4 and tying with G2 for the best record in the LEC. In playoffs, despite losing their first match to MAD Lions, Rogue went on to defeat FC Schalke 04 and G2 to make finals,^[36] where they lost their rematch against MAD Lions in a close 5 game series.^[37] In the Summer split, Rogue finishing the regular season in first, at 13–5, marking the third straight split in which Hans' team won 13 or more games.^[38] In they playoffs, Rogue defeated Misfits in the first round, which qualified them for the 2021 World Championship,^[39] before being swept by both MAD Lions and Fnatic, giving them a third place finish.^[40][41] At Worlds 2021, Rogue were drawn into Group A, which contained both of the tournament favorites, and winners of the two previous World Championships: China's FunPlusPhoenix and Korea's Damwon Kia.^[42] This group wad dubbed the "Group of death" by the media,^[43][44] and along with North America's Cloud9, Rogue were not expected to be able to advance.^[45] However at the end of the double–round–robin, Damwon held a 6–0 record, while the other three teams, including Rogue, were tied at 2–4 each.^[46][47] Rogue upset FPX in the first tiebreaker,^[48] before falling to Cloud9 in the second, failing to qualify for the knockout stage.^[49]

Team Liquid

After Worlds concluded, Team Liquid of the LCS acquired Hans Sama from Rogue, buying out his contract for an undisclosed amount.^[50][51][52] In the preseason Lock–In tournament, Hans did not play in all the games, as the team rotated their roster.^[53] Team Liquid's support and Hans' botlaner partner, CoreJJ, had not yet received his green card, and the team could only play two non-resident players, therefore the team rotated between Bwipo, Hans, and CoreJJ.^[54] Despite not having their full roster, Team Liquid won the Lock–In tournament, defeating Evil Geniuses 3–0 in the finals.^[55] On February 16, CoreJJ acquired his green card.^[56]

Hans sama left Team Liquid at the end of the season after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Championship.^[57]

G2 Esports

For the 2023 season, Hans signed with G2 Esports.^[58] During his first split back in the European region, Hans won his maiden LEC title, defeating MAD Lions in the final 3–0 to qualify for the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational.^[59]

References

1. "Team Liquid add former Rogue star Hans sama". Reuters. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
2. "FORG1VEN slams long-term player contracts as Alphari signs new two-year deal – Esports News UK". 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
3. "Renegades: Banditos renames to Misfits, picks up SELFIE, Wisdom and Dreams, sources say". ESPN.com. 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
4. Volk, Pete (2016-08-07). "FC Schalke 04 relegated from LCS as Misfits qualify in rout". The Rift Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
5. Volk, Pete (2017-04-16). "UOL advances to EU LCS finals with 3–1 win vs. Misfits". The Rift Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
6. Baker, Thomas (2017-09-02). "EU LCS Summer Finals positional breakdown". The Game Haus. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
7. Volk, Pete (2017-04-23). "G2 wins third consecutive EU LCS title". The Rift Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
8. Newell, Adam (2017-08-27). "G2 Esports sweep H2K-Gaming in the EU LCS semifinals". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
9. Goslin, Austen (2017-10-15). "Worlds 2017 Knockout Stage bracket". The Rift Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
10. Goslin, Austen (2017-10-20). "SK telecom T1 vs Misfits Worlds 2017 quarterfinal recap". The Rift Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
11. Karmic (2020-01-11). "From Misfits vs SKT to G2 vs SKT: The story of a gap closed". The Game Haus. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
12. "[KR Reactions] SKT vs Misfits : "That monster came to worlds again huh"". InvenGlobal. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
13. "Misfits and the upset that almost was". ESPN.com. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
14. "Find out more about the spring playoff teams in the NA and EU LCS". Red Bull. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
15. "LoL: Vitality defeats Misfits in third-place match". ESPN.com. 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
16. "Worlds 2018: Meet the Teams". na.leagueoflegends.com. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
17. Karmic (2020-01-22). "The Misfits Rebrand: A Shift in Soul". The Game Haus. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
18. "GorillA completes an impressive Misfits Gaming 2019 roster". Upcomer. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
19. "Misfits Gaming's 10-man roster gambit has worldly aspirations". ESPN.com. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
20. Li, Xing (2019-03-28). "What happened to Misfits?". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
21. yama. "Disappointing Result, Misfits Ready to Play Roster Academy at LEC! – Game News". Retrieved 2022-03-16.
22. "Misfits Pull Plug on Main Roster, to Start Academy Five". Hotspawn. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
23. Karmic (2019-12-24). "Why Should you Support Misfits in 2020?". The Game Haus. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
24. Esguerra, Tyler (2019-07-25). "Misfits Gaming part ways with sOAZ and GorillA". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
25. "League of Legends: Rogue Extend Contract for Support Vander as Hans Sama Joins the Team". Esports News Network | ESTNN. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
26. Welcome back Vander! Hello Hans sama!, retrieved 2022-03-16
27. Byers, Preston (2019-11-19). "Rogue reportedly acquires Hans Sama, extends VandeR". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
28. "Origen eliminates Rogue from LEC Spring Playoffs". www.invenglobal.com. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
29. "Vander talks Rogue's 1st place finish in the 2020 LEC Summer Split; Worlds qualification". InvenGlobal. 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
30. "[LEC Summer Playoffs] How the G2 Esports and Fnatic resurgences stopped a change of guard in the LEC". InvenGlobal. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
31. "Rogue defeats the MAD Lions 3–0 in the LEC Summer Playoffs, will face G2 in Semifinals". InvenGlobal. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
32. "LEC Finals: G2 Esports Defeat Rogue, Sweep Fnatic to Secure Title". EarlyGame. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
33. Chen, Patrik (2020-09-10). "All teams qualified for Worlds 2020 – LoL". eSports.com. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
34. Heath, Jerome (2020-10-11). "League Worlds 2020: Group stage scores, standings, and results". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
35. Kay, Meg (2021-01-21). "Hans sama extends contract with Rogue through 2022". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
36. Esguerra, Tyler (2021-04-10). "Rogue make history by taking down G2 Esports, advance to 2021 LEC Spring Finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
37. "[LEC Spring Playoffs] MAD Lions reverse sweeps Rogue to win first ever LEC championship". InvenGlobal. 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
38. Polhamus, Blaine (2021-08-02). "Rogue end the LEC regular season at first place - Vitality claim the last playoff spot - League of Legends". eSports.com. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
39. "[LEC Summer Playoffs] Rogue is the first team to qualify for Worlds 2021 after defeating Misfits 3-2". InvenGlobal. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
40. "MAD Lions sweeps Rogue to qualify for finals of 2021 LEC Summer Playoffs". InvenGlobal. 2021-08-21. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
41. Esguerra, Tyler (2021-08-28). "Fnatic stomp Rogue in dominant three-game sweep to qualify for the 2021 LEC Summer Finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
42. Polhamus, Blaine (2021-10-09). "These are the teams in the Worlds 2021 Group Stage - League of Legends". eSports.com. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
43. "Worlds 2021 Groups Draw: Group A is Death, Group B is Scary". Hotspawn. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
44. tea, journalist of 10+ years Lives on black; Love, Corgi (2021-09-22). "Worlds 2021 group draw results: Rogue gets group of death again". InvenGlobal. Retrieved 2022-03-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
45. "Worlds 2021 group draw roundtable | Results, reactions and analysis". Upcomer. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
46. Kelly, Michael (2021-10-15). "Cloud9 fall to DWG KIA, will play decisive tiebreaker vs. Rogue or FPX at Worlds 2021". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
47. "Cloud9, Rogue and FPX tie at 2-4 in Group A at Worlds 2021". Upcomer. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
48. Garcia, Ethan (2021-10-15). "Rogue eliminate FPX from Worlds 2021, advance to final Group A tiebreaker against C9". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
49. Polhamus, Blaine (2021-10-16). "Cloud9 escape the Group of Death - Why did FPX fail? - League of Legends". eSports.com. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
50. "Sources: Hans sama, Bjergsen plan to sign with Team Liquid; Jensen out". Upcomer. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
51. Hanes, Robert (2021-11-23). "Team Liquid Welcomes Hans Sama as New Bot Laner". The Game Haus. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
52. "Hans Sama: Change & Commitment". www.teamliquid.com. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
53. "[UPDATED Jan. 12] CoreJJ & Hans sama will split games during Lock In due to import restrictions". InvenGlobal. 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
54. "Sources: CoreJJ and Hans sama will split time during Lock In tournament due to green card complications". Upcomer. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
55. "Team Liquid defeat Evil Geniuses, become back-to-back Lock In champions". Upcomer. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
56. Esguerra, Tyler (2022-02-16). "CoreJJ has acquired his green card, according to Riot's Global Contract Database". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
57. Kelly, Michael (2022-09-19). "Liquid releases star ADC Hans sama from LCS team". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
58. Martinello, Eva (2023-01-12). "G2's LEC manager details the one requirement Hans Sama needed to join the team". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
59. Martinello, Eva (2023-02-26). "G2 Esports win inaugural LEC Winter Split, punch ticket to MSI with victory over MAD Lions". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2023-03-20.