When it comes to League of Legends, North America has not been great at producing talent. They’re the runt of the major regions, so to speak. The Rookie of the Split award is almost worthless, as there are only a few rookies playing in the LCS.
Damonte is one example of NA’s talent question marks. Photo by Parkes Ousley
Constantly importing stars and past-prime players, North American talent has never been given a chance to shine. Europe has a plethora of minor leagues while the North American scene has the LCS Academy, only boasting about 50 total players. 100 Thieves hopes to change this narrative with a new program. 100X is designed to prepare younger players for a brighter future in the professional scene.
100 Thieves Next is the company’s new amateur League of Legends team, designed to take some of NA’s most promising talent and nurture them on their way to LCS success. Being so young, the entire top side of the map is still in high school.
This is a bold move by 100 Thieves, who have rocketed to become a fan favorite since joining the LCS two years ago. No team, save for Cloud9, has had any consistent noticeable success developing young talent. Due to this, North America has constantly looked abroad for talent rather than raising it.
With this move, 100T is taking the first step to try and solve the issue of NA’s amateur scene. Lots of players have fallen through the proverbial crack, and programs like this one can make sure this is prevented.
If this venture succeeds, other teams following suit could be a very real possibility. All of this, of course, is dependant on the team’s success.
100 Thieves Next will be playing in the Upsurge Premier League on February 4th at 5:00 PM PT.
Featured Image via 100 Thieves.
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