Tomorrow is the start of the free agency period for the 2018 League of Legends Championship Series, and the stove is delightfully hot.
This season is kind of like the NBA or NFL offseason, with one exception: thereâs blessedly no draft. Contracts expire or get bought out; whoever isnât on a team is fair game. Since this is the first year of the franchised LCS, teams arenât just looking for wins, but to establish some brand appeal. Since there are some new teams in the league this year, thereâs going to be some moves in the coaching scene too, a growing component of competitive League. Itâs not just enough to have five good players anymore: a deep bench and good support staff are becoming desirable, as League develops more and more into an industry, rather than just a well-organized tournament. Hereâs whatâs been cooking so far this offseason.
The dissolution of Immortals
Since the Immortals wonât be coming back to the North American League Championship Series in 2018, the Worlds-caliber team was an obviously hot commodity for the new money entering the scene. Well, it would be, if Team Liquid didnât get there first. ESPNâs Jacob Wolf reports that Liquid snapped up four of Immortalsâ playersâthree starters and a substituteâwhile sub support William âStuntâ Chen is going to FlyQuest and coach SSONG heads to Team SoloMid
All these pickups leave Liquidâs roster a bit too full. Per Wolfâs sources, Liquid is likely to part ways with AD carry player-turned-mid laner Chae âPigletâ Gwang-jin, and Kim âReignoverâ Yeu-jinâs contract is uncertain as former Immortal Jake âXmithieâ Puchero takes his starting spot. Though thereâs no more relegation for Team Liquid to fear, this move certainly sends a message that they donât plan on riding the bottom of the standings in 2018.
The coaching carousel takes a spin
While SSONGâs aforementioned move (reportedly worth upwards of $300k) sends him to longtime League team TSM, the new logos in North America are picking up organizational staff from around the world.
Commentator Thomas âZaboutineâ Si-Hassen will be the head coach of OpTic Gamingâs League roster, while Golden State Warriors squad Golden Guardians are looking at Choi âLocodocoâ Yoon-seop and Cleveland Cavaliers-owned 100 Thieves look to sign Neil âPr0llyâ Hammad away from H2k, all per ESPNâs Wolf.
The team that won Worlds is staying together
I mean, makes sense. They beat Faker
The cold shoulder
In my personal favorite bit of news, former SKT T1 and Cloud9 top laner Jung âImpactâ Eon-yeong reportedly turned down an offer to return to SKT, supposedly because they were too far apart on salary and playing for the Worlds runners-up would be too much pressure.
Impact is currently a free agent looking for a new team, but it sounds like you better have a thick wallet and light expectations.
Team SoloMid gets younger in the lane
Yiliang âDoubleliftâ Peng has moved around North Americaâs teams a fair bit, having played for CLG, Team SoloMid, Team Liquid, Curse, and even Epik Gamer with a terrifying Blitzcrank. Heâll be looking to add another logo this coming season though, as one report has him on his way out the door at Team SoloMid.
Per Sources writer Jarek Lewis reports that TSM has picked up G2 players Jesper âZvenâ Svenningsen and Alfonso âMithyâ Aguirre Rodriguez to replace Doublelift and support player Vincent âBiofrostâ Wang, respectively.
Doublelift should find a roster spot if he wants one, but as he becomes a creaky old man by esports standardsâheâs 24âhe might have to work harder to get it. The influx of foreign talent into North America means even more options like Zven are available to the fresh teams looking for the next star at his position. While itâs hard to picture an LoL season without Doublelift, I also wouldnât be surprised to see him pull a Tony Romo, save his tired wrists, and find a regular gig on the mic every Saturday.
