In this article, we will talk about the offseason rumors for each teams for the LEC as we approach the 16th.
The LEC last year was a year of a lot of turnover. That led to some teams stepping up and having the unlikeliest of champions in MAD Lions. This year is no different in terms of the shifting sands. A lot of players are set to change these teams and this is what we know based on the rumors thus far. Let’s dive straight into it.
Rumored Team Changes and Needs
To address what we know thus far, we will go team by team in terms of rumored changes and their assumed needs. There are a lot of changes to talk about regarding many of the top teams. With that said, let’s start with the one team that was expecting a lot of turnover, G2 Esports.
G2 Esports
G2 Esports was a disappointment last year with them crashing out of the playoffs in both splits. Their performance in the Summer Split was the most striking given they were dominant during the regular season of said split. Nevertheless, with the roster they constructed and what they achieved, a lot of changes were expected.
Wunder, Mikyx, and Rekkles are set to leave while Caps and Jankos have been re-signed. Also, Grabbz is also set to leave the team.
Rumored Additions: BrokenBlade (Top Laner), Flakked (ADC), Targamas (Support), Dylan Falco (Head Coach).
Rumored Departures: Wunder (Top Laner), Rekkles (ADC), Mikyx (Support), Grabbz (Head Coach).
With the sale of Schalke04, BrokenBlade and Dylan Falco are set to be signed by G2. For both, it brings a lot of talent and experience to their respective roles. Meanwhile, they are signing a rookie bot lane in Flakked and Targamas. Targamas is touted as one of the best supports in the ERL the past year, and he has been excellent with the runs with Karmine Corp. Now, he finds himself in a team that is going to be vying to be at the top of the LEC.
Flakked has also been rumored to join them and based on MAD’s changes are rumored to be, it’s more than likely Flakked will be on G2. He has been very good in their tryouts as per rumors so G2 is moving forward with it.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
This is clearly a better direction for G2 going forward. It’s very much reminiscent of G2 before 2019 with a strong top side in BrokenBlade, Jankos, and Caps. With an experience and decorated coach in Dylan Falco, this team is set to be very good. The only question mark is whether the bot lane can be as good as rumored. We certainly have a bit of reservation at least.
Fnatic
G2’s bitter rivals almost to a fault it seems given Perkz’s clause to not be traded to Fnatic. Jokes aside, Fnatic did not perform as well with the turmoil going on inside the team. With Upset having to go back due to family issues, this team is looking at a lot of transitions.
Rumored Additions: Wunder (possibly) (Top Laner), Humanoid (Mid Laner), Razork (Jungler).
Rumored Departures: Adam (possibly) (Top Laner), Nisqy (Mid Laner), Bwipo (Jungler).
While their roster changes are still in flux, we know some of the changes they are set to make. Nisqy and Bwipo are set to depart to NA while they buy out Humanoid from MAD Lions and Razork joins in as a free agent. These two rumored changes make this team really strong. Razork has been one of the best players on Misfits last year and this is a team for him to show how good he is. Humanoid was either the best or the 2nd best mid laner last year depending on how you look at it. This dude was insane on MAD Lions and joining Fnatic is a big step for him in terms of branding. Top lane may potentially change given how things are rumored to be and Wunder being added to this team might be icing on the cake.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
This team is clearly upgrading immensely. Getting a better mid laner and the jungler potentially bode wells for them. For us at least, this makes them favorites to win the LEC next year. The top lane change is yet to have some credence so their roster is not fully confirmed yet. Even then, this roster is stacked to win the LEC next year.
MAD Lions
Speaking of Humanoid joining Fnatic, what is going on with MAD Lions. It seems crashing out of Worlds may have done some damage to that team. They are set to have a bunch of key changes especially from the back to back LEC winners.
Rumored Additions: Reeker aka RKR (Mid Laner), Unforgiven (ADC).
Rumored Departures: Humanoid (Mid Laner), Carzzy (ADC).
MAD is set to lose two of their players in this offseason. Carzzy is a free agent, and he is opted to leave. Also, our read into Humanoid leaving is that Humanoid likely asked to leave which is why MAD is shopping him. Other than that, we see no reason why this would happen.
The replacements are rookies as we would expect of MAD. With the track record they have with rookies, it does not surprise us that they went down this route. Reeker (RKR) was a mid laner that was LEC ready by many regards for a while now. MAD picking him up is a big win going forward, but it’s uncertain how that works out this year. The same thing can be said about Unforgiven at ADC. MAD has been good with picking rookies over the past years so giving them the benefit of the doubt is a very valid option.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
Given the rest of the LEC, this team is still going to be a playoff team. However, it’s hard to judge how good this team will be. The dynamic in the team will certainly change. Unforgiven is a very resource heavy bot laner, and we could see a change in how MAD plays especially since they lost their mid game shot caller. Regardless, this is a still a very talented roster going forward with Armut and Elyoya potentially taking the next steps as 2nd year players in the LEC.
Rogue
How the mighty have fallen. At one pointed, touted as the best roster in the LEC and now dissolved to nothingness by all accounts. Most of us certainly did not expect how this is going as rumored.
Rumored Additions: Wysek/Malrang (Jungler), Comp (ADC).
Rumored Departures: Inspired (Jungle), Hans Sama (ADC).
Yeah, you heard us right, Rogue is shipping their best players to NA. By all rumors, for a pretty penny as well. This is a gut punch for EU fans given how Rogue is sending the best of the best to NA for just good business. Well, that’s how that goes.
The replacements however, are pedestrian compared to who they had. Comp is a good ADC but nowhere near Hans Sama. While Malrang would be an interesting addition, a recent post has caught a bit of waves that Wysek might be the replacement since Malrang can’t speak English. Rogue is definitely tanking as it looks to us at least.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
This roster is pretty bad compared to what they had. Odoamne could leave as well potentially, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it did happen. This team is not making the playoffs next year in our opinion, and they won’t be in contention as well. Just a sad thing to see regarding the LEC.
Vitality
Well, let’s welcome the new super team in the LEC now.
Rumored Additions: Alphari (Top Laner), Perkz (Mid Laner), Carzzy (ADC.
Rumored Departures: Szygenda/SLT (Top Laner), LIDER (Mid Laner), Crownshot/Comp (ADC).
Vitality is retooling most of their roster and are bringing in the big guns. Alphari and Perkz are coming back from NA, and they are bringing Carzzy from the MAD Lions. This roster is going to be really stacked, but we are unsure if it works. Selfmade is re-signed with the team and Labrov has been great as a support.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
The problem with this roster will be adjusting to playing with each other. A lot of the times this kind of teams don’t work and this roster can be very boom or bust. Also, it is a good question to ask regarding which version of Perkz and Alphari are we getting. This roster has the ingredients to be great, but we will have to see it to believe it given how strong Fnatic is rumored to get.
Misfits Gaming
Misfits had some success in the Summer Split as a team with a new coaching staff. Sadly they are making a bunch of changes as some players have opted to leave the team.
Rumored Additions: Shlatan (Jungler), Neon (ADC), ???? (Support)
Rumored Departures: Razork (Jungler), Kobbe (ADC), Vander (Support)
Misfits is losing their best player and their AD carry in the offseason. Also, Vander is rumored to be not on the roster as well. They still have not announced their support pick, but they are going to pick up Neon as their ADC. Also, they will be bringing in Shlatan, who has been a top jungle prospect for a long time. Hirit is also re-signed with the team and Vetheo showed some good signs as a mid laner last year.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
As things stand, Misfits are going to take a bit of a step back. They lost some key players and will suffer some growing pains most likely. Even then, with their rumored bot lane, that can be a bit of a hindrance. However, if Shlatan lives up to his hype and Hirit still plays strong like he did last split, this team could surprise people.
Excel Esports
XL had a decent run to make the playoffs in the Summer Split. They did fall short sadly and my all reports, they are looking to run back the same team.
Rumored Additions: ??? (Top Laner)
Rumored Departures: Kryze (Top Laner)
Even though we put Kryze in the rumored departures, it’s not clear yet whether he stays with the team or not. Their top lane situation remains undecided, so we left it in as rumors for now. For the rest, they are going to bring back the rest of the players. Patrik has re-signed with the team and Nukeduck is set to return to the team as well. Markoon and Advienne played well when they were subbed in mid split and this is a good move to keeping them on the roster.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
Not much is changing, so they should still be a strong mid table team. Their top laner is not confirmed yet but Kryze has not been terrible to drag the team back. So, this team should be in contention for making the playoffs when the LEC starts.
Astralis
Astralis are making some changes to improve their roster from last split. This team has had its ups and downs, and now they are looking to make the next step.
Rumored Additions: Dajor (Mid Laner), Kobbe (ADC)
Rumored Departures: Magifelix (Mid Laner), Jeskla (ADC)
Jeskla and Promiseq did not play well for the team. Thus, Jeskla is not set to return with the team, and they have brought in Kobbe, a consistent ADC in the role. Dajor is slated to me the replacement for Magifelix as it was rumored very early that Magifelix would not return with the team.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
WhiteKnight was sensational last split and Zanzarah has done his job well enough. With the additions of Dajor and Kobbe, they went to take a step further to be in playoff contentions. Dajor is an unknown quantity, so we will have to wait and see how he does. The issue is keeping Promiseq despite his bad play. That is a question mark, and we will have to see whether he elevates his level of play.
SK Gaming
SK Gaming had an up and down split last year despite the mess they had in the jungle position. At least Treatz gets to go back to his actual role.
Rumored Additions: Sertuss (Mid Laner), Gilius (Jungler), Treatz (Support)
Rumored Departures: Blue (Mid Laner), Treatz (Going Back to Support), Lilipp (Support)
Treatz is set to return to support and be one of the better supports in the LEC. Meanwhile, SK is making a change in the mid lane where Blue massively struggled. They are bringing in Sertuss and Gilius to fill up the gaps. Both of them have played with each other in Schalke so there is some synergy to start with. The rest of the roster is still the same as Jezu played well last year and Jenax was very good in spots.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
This team has the makings to potentially challenge for a playoff spot. It will largely depend on whether Gilius and Sertuss can get adjusted to the team quickly and perform for the team. They have some good players in this team, so it would a disservice to count them out.
Team BDS
Lastly, we have the new kid in the block with Team BDS. They bought the slot from Schalke04 and are set to be on the LEC. Most of the roster of the previous team is gone, but they have retained some players from the team.
Rumored Additions: Adam (Top Laner), Cinkrof (Jungler), XMatty (ADC)
Rumored Departures: BrokenBlade (Top Laner), Kirei (Jungler), Neon (ADC)
While top lane is still not decided for the team, there are rumors that Adam might be acquired by the team. This will largely depend on what Fnatic decided to do in the top lane. Cinkrof is coming in as the jungler. He is a stable player and will be good in the LEC setting. XMatty is the guy to look forward to as he was exceptional with KCorp in their run last year.
Verdict On The Rumored Roster:
It’s a build up year for Team BDS, but they are putting forward a competitive roster. How competitive will it be is a question that needs to be answered. It will do them well to challenge to go as high in the standings as possible to get as many fans as they can accrue.
In Conclusion
There are a lot of roster changes being rumored thus far. With all of that said, this is a league that faces a lot of turnover and this offseason is nothing less. With so much young talent in the league, the LEC always persists to be a competitive league and a fun league to watch. The offseason is set to start on November 16th as a lot of moves might be signed within the first day for the LEC.
