It’s been a difficult offseason for Supermassive following the controversy surrounding their main sponsor, PAPARA. However, it's important to clarify that this financial scandal only involved PAPARA — a Turkish digital payment platform — and not the esports organization itself. Supermassive, which existed well before PAPARA’s involvement, remains operational.

While the long-term future between PAPARA and Supermassive remains unclear, the Turkish organization is continuing its operations independently for now. For clarity and accuracy, this report will refer to the team simply as “Supermassive,” as they are the ones managing the current League of Legends roster decisions.

Supermassive secure a key piece

Despite the uncertainty, Supermassive appear to have stabilized their financial footing and plan to retain their esports divisions in all six of their esports titles. League of Legends is no exception, and the team has already made its first move of the Summer Split.

Midlaner Lee "Mask" Sang-hun will take over the midlane position for Supermassive. The 24-year-old South Korean joins from Beşiktaş Esports after just one split with the team, marking his second TCL roster in as many splits. The team and the player have already reached a verbal agreement, sources tell Sheep Esports.

A journeyman mid with international pedigree

Mask began his career in 2020 with RunAway in Challengers Korea. In 2021, he joined Hanwha Life Esports Challengers, where he reached the CK Spring Split Final before the roster fell apart in Summer. He spent 2022 with KT Rolster Challengers, playing alongside future LEC and NA names like GIANTX's Noah and Disguised's Castle.

In 2023, Mask made his first move to Europe by joining Unicorns of Love Sexy Edition in the Prime League. Alongside fellow Korean import Peach, he helped the team win the Spring Split and reach the EMEA Masters Grand Final, narrowly falling to Istanbul Wildcats 2-3. They made the Prime League final again in Summer but fell short at EMEA Masters, exiting in the group stage.

His strong year in Europe earned him a shot in North America’s Tier 1 scene. Mask joined Immortals for the 2024 season and reunited with Castle, but the team struggled heavily, finishing last in both LCS splits.

Return to TCL and now to Supermassive

At the beginning of 2025, Mask returned to the TCL, joining Beşiktaş as a replacement for Seo “TolanD” Sang-won and teaming up with Kyeong “Photon” Gyu-tae. The team had a middling split and exited playoffs early after a 0-3 loss to BBL Dark Passage.

Meanwhile, Supermassive was undergoing a rollercoaster of its own. After signing AD Carry Jeong “BAO” Hyeon-woo, they won the TCL Winter Split but were knocked out in the EMEA Masters quarterfinals by Los Ratones. BAO’s absence in Spring, reportedly due to visa or logistical issues, caused a massive downturn in results. The team failed to qualify for playoffs.