Riot Games is giving every League of Legends player a piece of Cyanide’s career. The official League account announced today that the “Cyanide the First” title and Jarvan IV are free to claim, and that playing three games on Jarvan IV unlocks Cyanide’s Fnatic Jarvan IV skin, in memory of Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen, the Fnatic jungler who won the first League of Legends World Championship at 16. Fnatic confirmed his death on Sunday. He was 31.
Watch the short YouTube“In remembrance of Season 1 World Champion, smite king, and beloved member of the community, Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen, you can claim the “Cyanide the First” title and Jarvan IV, and play 3 games on Jarvan IV to unlock Cyanide’s Fnatic Jarvan IV skin. Thank you for everything, Cyanide.”
How to unlock the Cyanide title and the Fnatic Jarvan IV skin
- Claim the “Cyanide the First” title. Riot says it is free for everyone, with no purchase or mission attached.
- Claim Jarvan IV. The champion is also free, so players who never owned him can take part.
- Play three games on Jarvan IV. Finishing the third game unlocks the Fnatic Jarvan IV skin, the championship skin made for Cyanide after Fnatic’s Season 1 win.
Riot has not said how long the offer runs, so claim the title and champion now rather than waiting for a patch note. A separate “Young Legend Cyanide” title with the description “In memory of Cyanide, Season 1 World Champion” appeared on the test server earlier this week, so expect the live title to carry the same line.
Why Riot is doing this: the youngest Worlds winner died at 31
Happonen died on July 31, according to Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, which confirmed the death with Finland’s Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The news did not reach the public until October 26, when Fnatic posted its statement. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen earlier this year. During his four-year spell at Fnatic, Cyanide made history as the youngest ever player to win Worlds at just 16. He leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and everyone whose lives he touched. Rest in peace, Cyanide.”
Cyanide was Fnatic’s jungler when the team, then branded FnaticMSI, beat Against All Authority in the Season 1 final at DreamHack Summer in June 2011. He was 16, and fifteen years later nobody younger has lifted the Summoner’s Cup. He stayed with Fnatic through 2014, reaching the Worlds semi-finals in 2013 and winning three straight European league titles across 2013 and 2014. The “smite king” line in Riot’s post is the community’s name for him, earned on objective steals in those years.
Lauri ”Cyanide” Happonen has past away at the age of 31
byu/taalaporriainen inleagueoflegends
The thread announcing his death is one of the most upvoted posts on the League subreddit this year, and the days since have filled with old clips, including his Corki first pick and a best-of compilation. LoL Esports called him “Forever a legend” and wrote: “Thank you for everything, Lauri.”
Riot did the same for Shushei last year
The tribute follows a precedent. When Maciej “Shushei” Ratuszniak, Cyanide’s teammate on that Season 1 roster, died last year, Riot added a “Shushei Forever” title and made his Fnatic Gragas skin free. Two of the five players who won the first Worlds are now remembered inside the game they helped turn into an esport. The Fnatic Jarvan IV skin that unlocks after three games is the same one Cyanide chose when Riot made the Season 1 championship skins in 2012.
