Team Liquid has purchased contract rights to now-former Phoenix1 support Adrian "Adrian" Ma, who will most likely sit out the remainder of the Spring Split before competing for a spot on the Liquid lineup before the Summer Split, sources close to the player and teams told ESPN.
Phoenix1 is currently assessing its options to replace Adrian but has already made a deal with Team Dignitas, buying out substitute support William "Stunt" Chen, according to sources.
Since Adrian will most likely not compete for Team Liquid during the Spring Split, he returned to his family home in Houston on Tuesday. Team Liquid has temporarily added Team SoloMid AD carry Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng, it announced Tuesday evening, to its lineup after moving its AD carry Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin to the mid lane. The team is currently not expected to make any more active changes until the conclusion of the Spring Split.
The move comes after recent conflicts between Adrian and former teammate Inori on Phoenix1.
Several weeks ago, Inori communicated to his team that he would need a competitive break due to personal matters and was replaced temporarily on the lineup by former Cloud9 jungler William "Meteos" Hartman. Prior to a match, Adrian stated in an interview that he enjoyed playing with Meteos because he was "using his brain."
Inori took offense to these comments, as later expressed on social media and in an interview with Blitz Esports. These conflicts eventually led to the move, according to sources.
"I didn't want to start drama, but it doesn't feel good when a teammate s--- talks you in a pre-game interview," Inori said in a now-deleted tweet on Sunday.
Stunt has competed in the League Championship Series a total of four games. He previously substituted for Echo Fox in Feb. 2016. He most recently competed with Team Dignitas, earning a 2-1 record in three games.
Team Liquid, Team Dignitas and Phoenix1 declined to comment by the time of publication.
