The 2017 NA Scouting Grounds draft produced some of the most well-known names in the League of Legends Championship Series. First pick Colin "Kumo" Zhao (who was called "League" at the time) is the current top laner for Evil Geniuses and was drafted by Cloud9, who also picked up jungler Robert "Blaber" Huang (then, "blaberfish2"), the 2020 LCS Spring MVP. The fourth overall pick was Philippe "Vulcan" Laflamme, who went to Clutch Gaming where he later made a name for himself in his rookie year.
None of these players, alongside six and seven-round picks Cristian "Palafox" Palafox and Nicholas "Ablazeolive" Antonio Abbott who went to Clutch Gaming and Team SoloMid respectively, were surprises. They were all recognizable names in the North American amateur scene.
Jungler Mingyi "Spica" Lu, the overall second-round pick in the first-ever Scouting Grounds draft, was not. Few people knew who he was at the time. Spica was unexpectedly chosen by Echo Fox as a trainee. He was 16 at the time and the most important question that he posed to then-TSM jungler Mike "MikeYeung" Yeung, who was coaching Spica's Scouting Grounds team, was whether he should finish school or try to go pro immediately.
"I was a reserve starter for Echo Fox since Echo Fox knew that I wanted to finish school. I think finishing school is just the right move," Spica said. "I remember MikeYeung saying that if you're good enough you can just wait and if you finish school you can still play. And I think that really helped me with the right mindset."
Unlike many of the other Scouting Grounds players who had some amateur experience or were more well-known by their peers in the NA solo queue ladder, Spica had been chosen by the TSM staff for Team Infernal Drake at the start of the week based on the raw talent he had shown in solo queue and because he was an unknown. Although he was drafted by Echo Fox, this is where his connection to the TSM organization started.
At the time, Spica wasn't even sure if he wanted to be a professional League of Legends player.
"I remember Parth telling me how he really likes my attitude and working with me. I was 16 at the time and I was really hungry to prove myself," Spica said. "[Scouting Grounds] was just like a test of whether I'm ready or I'm suited for this lifestyle. I think I definitely showcased a lot of myself not just skill-wise but personality-wise and how I work in a team environment. That really helped me make a case for myself."
Spica joined the TSM organization in April 2019 as their Academy team jungler. He was quickly called up to the main TSM lineup that summer, where he started the final two games of the split over Matthew "Akaadian" Higginbotham.
"I was definitely surprised when I was called up. It was shocking initially," Spica said. "I was playing Academy and then the next day I'm playing LCS scrims. It took some time adjusting because there were better players in the LCS."
Spica had his own highlights onstage, including a Baron steal in his debut match against FlyQuest, but was arguably still well out of his depth compared to the rest of the league. TSM seemed disorganized internally, having rotated through three junglers in 2019 LCS Summer, landing on Spica in the end.
This summer, Spica will once again take the stage for the TSM main lineup, this time with significantly more experience and confidence, as their starting jungler.
He'll be taking to the stage at an awkward time for TSM as an organization. Management gaffes from TSM President Aileena "Leena" Xu have dominated headlines for TSM after a conversation Leena was having regarding former TSM jungler Joshua "Dardoch" Hartnett was leaked on boyfriend and TSM bot laner Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng's stream - a conversation that could have, and possibly did, affect his value in the offseason market. Dardoch's messy departure on top of TSM's disappointing spring finish and questions around the return of Doublelift to the team have tarnished most of the good will that TSM had with many LCS fans.
For Spica, it hasn't been TSM's chaotic offseason that's made him feel pressure, but the burden of expectations that continue to follow every TSM team. TSM as an organization made a name for itself by winning. The past two years were the first in the team's history where TSM did not represent North America on the world championship stage.
"There's definitely a pressure, but it's more of the pressure of fulfilling a legacy," Spica said. "Since Doublelift is returning, he's a really well-accomplished player, especially when he was on TSM, so I think a lot of people expect the roster to do well. There's some pressure on me but I think pressure is a good thing. It motivates you to perform and improve."
According to Spica, their practices have been going well as the team tries to figure out their identity and playstyle. More than anything else, he's looking forward to establishing himself as a professional.
"I just want to do well," Spica said. "That's really simple but I think it's a very important chance to prove myself. I'm playing with two of the most accomplished NA players, I think we have a good roster, I think we can do a lot, so I just want to prove myself."