The Golden Guardians have revealed that they are bringing on Licorice for the LCS. Here is their announcement:
Join us in welcoming the newest addition to Golden Guardians, @Licorice.
We’ve not only acquired Licorice, we’ve extended his contract through 2023, as we believe he will be a player worth building around in the coming years. pic.twitter.com/v498an4QWx
— Golden Guardians (@GoldenGuardians) July 6, 2021
Golden Guardians bringing on Licorice – Who is he?
Eric “Licorice” Ritchie is a 23-year-old professional League of Legends player. He started his career in 2016 with Frank Fang Gaming, and then went on to represent Cloud9 in it’s challenger league. From there he played for eUnited, and was later transferred onto Cloud9 in 2017. He stayed with the squad till the very end of 2020, and then during transfer season it was announced that he would be joining FlyQuest as part of their rebuilding period.
Unfortunately it hasn’t been so bright and easy for Licorice, and the results have been very disappointing. Now with FlyQuest’s drastic roster changes in the Summer Split, he’s moved on to represent Golden Guardians to help them get better results in the coming matches.
Here are some of his best achievements:
3rd/4th in the 2018 World Championship – 28th October 2018 – $451,500
1st in LCS Spring 2020 – 19th April 2020 – $100,000
9th-12th at 2019 World Championship – 18th October 2019 – $50,063
This is how Golden Guardian’s newest lineup looks like:
Golden Guardians haven’t had a splendid performance throughout the Summer Split. They’ve had their ups-and-downs and are currently sitting in 8th position with a 5 win, 10 loss record. Hopefully with this revamped roster the team can improve and get better results in the rest of their matches.
FlyQuest implement drastic changes to roster – What is being changed?
As can be seen from their announcement above, FlyQuest are switching the Academy roster with their LCS roster. Yep, you heard that right, the academy team will now be playing in the main event in North American League of Legends. This roster consists of the following players:
Along with this change came the move for Licorice, which will now represent the Golden Guardians. As a result of this, Kumo will be playing in both the LCS, and Academy League until FlyQuest finds a suitable replacement.
Summer Split Performance
This roster change did not surprise many. FlyQuest are currently sitting at the very bottom of the Summer Split, with only 3 wins, and 12 losses. This version of FlyQuest is incomparable with the one in the 2020 Summer Split. Last year, the team placed 3rd during groups, and 2nd in the eventual playoffs run. It’s fair to say that this hasn’t turned out the best for the organisation, and hopefully with the following changes, the team can improve their results.
T1 aren’t unfamiliar when it comes to Mobile Esports. In fact, they are also represented in PUBG Mobile tournaments. For Wild Rift, they’ll be fielding the following squad:
Top lane – JJong
Jungle role – JY
Mid lane – Core
AD Carry – Haru
Supports – PenGuin
What does this mean?
T1 wasn’t the first team in Korea to get a Wild Rift roster. KT Rolster was the first to announce their squad, on the 8th of June. Now with two of the most popular orgs in South Korea announcing their entry into this mobile esport, we can expect an official announcement regarding its esports scene, very soon. Other regions have already had their official competitions announced, and for some regions, these tournaments are ongoing.
Riot have revealed that starting with Week 5, the teams taking part in the LEC will compete on the main stage from the LEC Studio. On every single match-day, teams playing in Game 1,3, and 5 will be playing from the studio. Ofcourse, every safety and health precaution will be the main priority for everyone involved.
When asked as to why the teams are returning to LAN, Riot have replied with the following:
“As the situation in Berlin continues to improve, we are now presented with the opportunity to bring back players in a safe way that is inline with all local regulations. From the beginning, we have been eagerly waiting for the time when we could safely have our players return to competing live and in-person, and we couldn’t be more excited that the time has finally come.”
Unfortunately despite the LEC returning to LAN, no live audience is allowed. They don’t have an exact date as to when that will be feasible just yet, but be sure to follow our website to know when that news hits the surface!
Out of 10 weeks, four have passed for the LCK Summer 2021 season. Indeed, it’s been a very interesting road so far with a few surprises. Notably, a week ago we covered a discussion over DWG KIA and their performance. Read on for a quick recap on how the competition stands right now!
LCK Summer 2021 Week 4 Recap – A 4 Way Tie
To begin with, we’ll first present the standings and some key matches from the past week.
Here are some key matches for Week 4 which shaped things up:
T1 vs KT Rolster (2-1) – a necessary win for T1 puts them into the Top 6 and demotes KT to 7th place.
Nongshim RedForce vs DWG KIA (2-1) – with all eyes on DWG to improve, they fall apart as Nongshim comes out of nowhere with a victory – not looking good for DWG
Afreeca Freecs vs T1 (2-1) – by landing this win, Afreeca place themselves as contenders in the 4 way tie
DWG Kia vs Gen.G (2-0) – the most stunning performance of the week, DWG manage to hand Gen.G their first loss of the season so far. Indeed, the community hopes DWG keeps this up.
As of right now, the LCK Summer 2021 is very exciting indeed. Although Gen.G sit in the lead, 4 teams sit tied at the scoreline of 5-3 which is set to change over the next few weeks.
Back in February we had reported that Schalke 04 Esports Club were planning to step away from the LEC. This time round, it wasn’t mainly due to their results in the League, but it’s more related to their parent company, FC Schalke 04. The Football team relegated to the 2nd division of the Bundesliga, and it resulted in a huge financial loss. The safest way to recover this loss was to sell their LEC slot, which was estimated to cost around 20 million euro.
Who will take their spot?
The most interested party for the spot French org Team BDS. They have emerged as one of the most successful European orgs in 2020 and 2021, and we cannot wait to see them in the League of Legends scene. Heading into the 2022 season, Team BDS will be the newest team in the European League.
Alexandre Lopez, Head of Strategy for Team BDS said the following:
“We are thrilled to finally be able to participate in such a challenging and exciting competition. This really is the next step for BDS and we hope to feature among the best in League of Legends. We are grateful towards Riot Games and FC Schalke 04 for placing their trust in our team, and we hope to continue FC Schalke 04’s work in developing esports as a discipline of its own.”
Team BDS acquires @S04Esports LEC Slot. Starting from 2022, BDS will operate as #LEC core member for an indefinite period.
Cloud9 entering Wild Rift, Signing Zelo – Who is he?
As their first member for their Wild Rift squad, Cloud9 have brought on Donovan “Zelo” Man. Not much is known about him, however on his twitter profile he states that he is currently ranked in the top 20 leaderboard for Challenger rank in North America. He also reveals that he was at Grandmaster rank during season 10 of League of Legends. Meaning that he has solid experience when it comes to the Riot Games MOBA.
Credits: Cloud9
Who else are they picking up?
What’s interesting is that Cloud9 have opened a submission form to gather players for their Wild Rift squad. The form is quite direct and straightforward. It asks basic information such as name age and in-game name, but it also asks for best rank in Wild Rift, as well as the player’s main and secondary roles. If you’d like to apply, click here.
This is a very great gesture by Cloud9, allowing some of their talented fans to be on the squad. We can expect that they’ll be trialing their players real soon, so keep an eye out for an announcement in the coming weeks!
I think most people have heard of DWG KIA, if not, at least they’re phenomenal achievements this past year. Indeed, ever since last year, only one word has been associated with this team – ‘dominant’. However, the 2020 World Championships are not looking too hot right now – read on for an in-depth discussion on what exactly is going on and whether there is cause to worry.
Dethroned at MSI – ‘We Are Not At Our Peak Yet’
To kick things off, we need to wind back the clock to MSI 2021. Following a dominant 16-2 record at the LCK Spring 2021, DWG KIA kicked off the season where they left off, as champions of the world. With first seed in the bag, they also trounced the Group Stage of the international event followed by Stage 2.
Credits: Riot Games
Yet, despite being hailed the favourites, nothing prepared them for the grand final against Royal Never Give Up. Albeit a close and exciting match-up, RNG clutched up and served DWG KIA a bitter loss, one of their first in a while.
Of course, placing second at an international event is nothing to complain about. Moreso, it’s what mid-laner Showmaker told Dexerto that contributes to this discussion:
I believe we are not at our peak yet. I don’t think we are as strong as we were at Worlds last year. We’ve got some homework to do in order to bring up our performance. We’re getting picked off a lot in game when we’re trying to secure vision. Our laning phases aren’t going as well as we hope to, so we will work on those
Perhaps, by being at the top for so long, many did do their homework and are adapting to the playstyle of DWG KIA.
DWG KIA Doubting Themselves Heading into LCK Summer?
Following the international event, they had some time to take a break and try sort things out. However, kicking off on June 9th, the LCK Summer would test this roster once again – one which looks slightly off.
[2021 LCK SPRING CL DEFEAT]
오늘 경기 승리 가져오지 못했습니다. 내일은 보다 발전한 모습 보여드릴 수 있도록 노력하겠습니다. 감사합니다.
We couldn't take victory at today's match. We're try to show better performances tomorrow. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/rTZkTfdWvZ
Accordingly, after almost 3 weeks, they’ve lost as many games as in their entire Spring season. Here’s their match record so far for context:
DWG KIA vs T1 (2-1)
KT Rolster vs DWG KIA (2-0)
DWG KIA vs Afreeca Freecs (2-0)
DRX vs DWG KIA (0-2)
DWG KIA vs BRO (1-2)
In this fashion, the organization finds itself at fourth place – the lowest they’ve been in quite some while. Meanwhile, Gen.G maintain a perfectly clean record at 5-0.
Credits: Riot Games
What’s more is that DWG have also recently attempted swapping roles, which clearly speaks volumes.
Swapping Roles – Clearly Out of Rhythm
Specifically, on June 17th, it was announced that the legendary Jungle player of ‘Canyon’ would be moving to Mid while ‘ShowMaker’ with reciprocate with a move to Jungle.
This happened while before their win against Afreeca Freecs, the teaam opted to sub out Ghost with substitute jungler of Malrang. This also resulted in the entire team playing a little differently, and quite sloppy too, yet still winning!
Credits: Riot Games
So, why have DWG KIA lost their balance? Let’s discuss a few possible reasons.
What’s Changed – Game, Competition or Team?
There are three main things I can think of to result in this new look from DWG KIA:
Game – do note that since Worlds 2020 (Patch 10.19), we are now playing on Patch 11.11. Indeed, with how much LoL can change, it’s only natural that at times, teams need to reinvent how they play and adapt to a new style which might be the case here.
Competition – as noted, Gen.G are now flawless to kick off the LCK Summer 2021 season. Perhaps the competition in the LCK is getting fiercer than DWG anticipated? Otherwise, perhaps teams are now preparing for them better.
Team – after winning for so long, perhaps there are some internal problems the team needs to sort out as a unit – this is evident in the role switches. Perhaps losing MSI hurt their confidence?
DWG KIA Off-Balance But Not Falling – Brighter Days Ahead?
Credits: DWG KIA
Again, such a discussion is only possible with a team like DWG KIA – one which has dominated the region for so long. Accordingly, upon seeing struggle upon returning to the LCK we knew we had to discuss it. However, we’re also aware that DWG KIA will likely take care of everything and be back stronger.
Indeed, if there’s a time to make mistakes to learn from it’s now – like this they have plenty of time to bounce back for Worlds later on this year! Everyone expects more, and we’re sure they’ll deliver.
Cloud9 first revealed their ADC swap back in the late of May. This is where Australian player Calvin “K1ng” Truong had his shining opportunity to showcase his abilities where it matters most. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the cleanest of rides so far, and that could’ve been due to his inexperience in top League of Legends play.
Didn't get the results I wanted but was a great experience regardless. I'm really thankful for the opportunity and I'm sorry for disappointing everyone. Excited to see the Lord Svenningsen back in action #C9WIN
Cloud9 started their Summer run in 7th place, losing against Golden Guardians and 100 Thieves, but winning against Team Liquid. In the second week we saw a much better Cloud9 squad, as they won 3 straight matches against Flyquest, CLG, as well as Dignitas. However in the final week, we had C9 missing out on any wins. They lost against Evil Geniuses, Immortals, and TSM. Not the end they wanted for their 3rd week, and certainly not the best start heading into this Summer Split.
Credits: Riot Games
What does Zven’s return mean?
This is going to be Zven’s first appearance in this Summer Split. This change means that the Cloud9 roster could perform like they were back in MSI. Meaning that hopefully, we’ll see the dominant C9 performance we’ve been dying to see. The LCS continues on June 25th, with a Cloud9 rematch against Golden Guardians!
Unlike other competitive League of Legends regions, the LCS 2021 will be keeping the score from the previous season. Indeed, that’s allowed for the LCS 2021 Summer to be that much more exciting. Heading into Week 3, there’s one match up on everyone’s mind in the midst of an awesome assortment of games!
Accordingly, Week 3 kicks off on 19th June, running to the 21st June. Here are the standings as of right now for the LCS 2021 Summer event:
Bearing this in mind, and the vast array of games, we’ll be listing some key matches below for you:
TSM vs Dignitas – a nice fight for the top 5 this weekend could help form how the top 6 look with TSM as the favourites for this match.
TSM vs Cloud9 – another tough fight for TSM, they’ll be taking on the current leaders in Cloud9 for an epic showdown to shape up the top end of the table
.@leagueofemily presents a thought experiment in this week's "10 thoughts": What if these #LCS games were seen not as single games with immediate reactions, but as best-of-threes?
Immortals vs FlyQuest – with both teams sitting at 7-8th, this is an incredible opportunity for either team to stay in the top 8, away from the posing threat of Counter Logic Gaming beneath them
