With every North American team making huge roster changes going into the 2019 season, there will be a lot of players to keep an eye on. Whether it’s replacing a player that had a huge role on their old team, or simply having a lot of expectations on their new team, some players will have even more pressure to deal with as the LCS season begins. Here are a few of the players that fans will definitely be keeping an eye on as the season progresses.
Courtesy of: LoL Esports Flickr
After a split on Clutch Gaming’s Academy team, Piglet will be starting the 2019 season on Clutch Gaming’s main roster. While he was decent in Academy, it’s clear that Piglet is no longer a top tier ADC within the league. He did show flashes of dominance but, he was simply too inconsistent throughout the season.
Piglet will need to prove that he can still be a top tier ADC within North America if Clutch Gaming wants to succeed. If Piglet is unable to provide another option to carry the team to victory behind top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon, it’s hard to see other players on the team stepping up and being able to provide a second option. Regardless of how the team performs, the pressure is on for Piglet now. If he wants to prove himself and show that he still belongs in the LCS, this will likely be his last chance to do so. Otherwise, it could very likely be Piglet’s last season.
Courtesy of: Team OpTic Twitter
After a disappointing World Championships, former Gen.G mid laner Crown has now moved on to OpTic Gaming in North America. The move was met with some surprise by fans, as most were expecting Crown to retire along with former teammate Kang “Ambition” Chan-yong. While Crown was amazing during Gen.G’s gauntlet run that sent them to Worlds, his performance at Worlds itself was abysmal. As a result, the move to OpTic is made even more questionable, as Crown will need to be a consistent carry on the team.
If Crown is able to have a solid season in North America, it could revitalize his career. While he isn’t rated as highly as he used to be, a solid season in which he demonstrates the ability to consistently match up well against the likes of Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen and Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, will help reestablish his value. this will allow him to quickly become a huge free agent in the following season. The gamble made by OpTic was a big one, but if it pays off, it will be a huge win for both the team and Crown himself.
Courtesy of: TSM
Broken Blade enters his first season in the LCS with a ton of hype surrounding him. After spending his entire career in Turkey, he will now join the North American juggernaut TSM. He’ll have big shoes to fill as he’ll be replacing Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell, who had become a key part of TSM during his three year stint on the roster.
Broken Blade will have a chance to display his talents on a bigger stage and against better players. Considering all the hype and expectations placed on him, the pressure to perform will be massive. Will he thrive and live up to expectations? Or, will he fall short and bring another long year ahead for TSM? Only time will tell.
Courtesy of: Invenglobal
After a season with limited play as a sub for KT Rolster, the resident North American kind boy makes his return as the jungler for Echo Fox. While the Echo Fox roster as a whole is fairly underwhelming, fans will still be fairly excited to see Rush in action once again.
It is clear that the roster is somewhat weak on paper when compared with the top teams like Team Liquid but, they have the potential to make a dark horse run if Rush and players that had off-years like mid laner Kim “Fenix” Jae-hun can find their stride once again. As such, Rush could be seeing quite a few opportunities to take over the game and carry Echo Fox to multiple victories. Whether it’ll be on signature champions like Lee Sin or Nidalee is yet to be seen. Regardless of who he plays, it’ll be exciting to simply see Rush back in action in the LCS once again.
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