With the spring split behind us and Summer bearing down on the NA scene, the off-season has given us a plethora of things to watch out for. From roster swaps to mid-season updates, the North American scene is not without it’s interesting situations and decisions. With the summer split just days away from starting up, let’s take a look at some of the interesting decisions that have occurred and what they mean for the teams.
GoldenGlue to TL main roster
Photo Credit: thescoreesports.com
One of the lesser known transitions that has occurred is the Team Liquid situation. After barely escaping relegations after acquiring a few hired guns, Team Liquid are putting their hopes in contracting GoldenGlue back to their main roster, and moving Piglet back to ADC.
Although Piglet did have a mediocre performance in his slight stint as a Mid Laner, bringing GoldenGlue back seems like a downgrade considering his past history of play. Having played before for Team Liquid on the main roster, as well as Team Liquid Academy, he has yet to give a top tier performance, given his track record throughout his years. If Team Liquid are aiming to place higher than fourth in the Split, GoldenGlue will have to prove he deserves the position.
DoubleLift to TSM
Photo Credit: http://ggnetwork.tv
After the announcement was made that Doublelift was picked up by Team Liquid as a substitute ADC, word circulated that TSM would be fielding a 6-man roster with a rotating ADC position, and officially confirmed by TSM themselves. Now that MSI has been finished, DoubleLift is officially back on the starting roster of TSM, and they are hoping to restore themselves to their 2016 glory.
Bringing back Doublelift is a very positive move for TSM. With his return, not only is the roster a full-fledged monster, but it also sorts out the issue of the bottom lane being almost criminally weak. Solidifying the bot lane affords every other lane, especially the jungle, to be able to play in multiple different styles without worrying about if they have to baby WildTurtle. The only primary concern going into the summer split will be if the shotcalling will be unaffected, or if clashing calls will bring TSM down.
WildTurtle To FlyQuest
Photo Credit: https://esports.clickon.co
Following a disappointing MSI performance and facing the return of DoubleLift to TSM, WildTurtle was faced with a dilemma: Stay alongside DoubleLift and possibly not play most of the split, or find other options. Not wanting to live in the shadows of a legend, he chose to find better options, and landed at FlyQuest, relieving Altec of his role as starting ADC.
WildTurtle moving to FlyQuest is something that I see as a good move for him and FlyQuest, but at a very low level. Replacing Altec with a seasoned player who has multiple years and competitive experience under his belt will help round out FlyQuest’s stacked team of veterans, but I do not see WildTurtle being the prominent reason that FlyQuest will be able to reign at the top of the ladder again. Just like with GoldenGlue, WildTurtle will need to step it up a notch or two if he wants to prove himself on stage again.
C9 With no Roster Changes
PhotoCredit: SportsGrid
C9 is quite possibly the only major NA team that has not had a major roster swap within this year. Although they have added a few substitutes, their primary roster of Impact, Contractz, Jensen, Sneaky, and Smoothie remains the same from the 2017 Spring Split.
The move to not move is something that generally goes unnoticed within the competitive scene. As roster swaps are generally more hyped, cultivation of a team is something that is underestimated. With Cloud 9 not shifting their primary roster, expect them to be a powerhouse in the ever-shifting transfers of imports and player swapping teams.
Xmithie-Dardoch Trade
Quite possibly the most newsworthy and controversial trade of the off-season, Xmithie moving to Immortals and Dardoch moving to CLG was announced quite early within the off-season, and came as a shock due to Immortals stating that they were going to be able to “reform” Dardoch to be a true home-grown talent, as well as Xmithie being thought of as a declining jungler.
For CLG, this is seen as a challenge and a step up. In terms of mechanical skill and game knowledge, Dardoch is quite vastly superior to Xmithie. The issue that comes up is how much Dardoch’s attitude will get in the way of his success, as it has in the past (Breaking Point: CLG anyone?). With CLG already showing that they have issues dealing with arrogance such as the departure of DoubleLift, as well as the notorious “Donezo Manifesto” with Link, having someone with possibly an even greater sense of superiority may land CLG back in the relegation zone.
For Immortals, this can be seen as something as a temporary band-aid. I do not believe that they fully expect Xmithie to be the missing link within their team, but more of a simple stopper until they find the next available option. Xmithie is very reliable and solid in the jungle, with no break-out performances or grandiose plays to his name. As such, unless the rest of his team is able to step up to a major degree, Immortals will have to look towards Spring of 2018 if they wish to be truly competitive.