One of the pioneers of LoL esports, legendary jungler Danil ‘Diamondprox’ Reshetnikov, is briefly returning to competitive League of Legends at EMEA Masters Winter 2026.
The former pro was an emergency substitute for the Turkish LoL team Bushido Wildcats in the Lower Bracket match against Vantex Esports, where a loss will spell elimination from the competition.
The Russian jungler filled in for Turkish pro Taha ‘Elramir’ Yurdagüven, who is missing the match due to personal reasons after his mother suffered a heart attack.
Diamondprox hasn’t participated in LoL Esports at a professional level since 2024 after filling in for EGN Esports at EMEA Masters Summer. The Russian pro has continued to participate in smaller tournaments but seemingly hasn’t been part of a team for longer than a month since 2022.
This year’s Winter EM tournament is slightly higher stakes as the top two teams will qualify for the Esports World Cup Qualifier and then compete with LEC teams to try and qualify for the big-money LoL tournament at the Saudi Arabian event featuring the world’s best teams.
The 33-year-old DiamondProx has shown he still has it as he helped Bushido Wildcats defeat Vantex. He finished the first match with a 7/0/9 KDA as the team finished the game with a 13k gold lead. The Turkish team then dominated the second game to win 2-0 and keep their EM campaign alive.
Diamondprox’s LoL Esports Legacy
Diamondprox revolutionised the jungle role in the early days of LoL esports while competing for Moscow Five in 2012.
He essentially invented ‘priority’ in the MOBA, focusing on champions that could clear extremely quickly and having his teammates select winning lanes that could push quickly.
This allowed Diamondprox and M5 to catch out teams, constantly being first to act and allowing the jungler to invade his opponent while they were still trying to complete their first clear.
Lane priority, invading, and timing camps can all be attributed to his pioneering playstyle of being aggressive and exerting lots of early-game pressure.
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Meanwhile, other retired LoL pros are keeping busy like Odoamne, who has joined Fnatic’s LEC coaching staff.
