According to League of Legends content creator Daniel “dGon” Gonzales, the North American LCS could see a bona fide exodus this offseason. Speaking on the Facecheck podcast, Gonzales claimed that a unnamed LCS team had already sold their franchise slot in the league and would be leaving before the start of the next split. Furthermore, Gonzales clarified that the team in question was not TSM, who had previously announced that they would seeking an exit from the league.
When asked if he was happy about the team that would be entering the league, Gonzales instead said that he was happy about who was leaving. Aside from the departing TSM, there are nine other teams in the LCS. Immortals have already been linked with a move away from the league. It was reported last month that Immortals had triggered a performance provision that could force them out of the league. Immortals have finished bottom two in five splits amid an eight split (4 years) period. That triggers a Riot Games safeguard that could potentially see Immortals leave the league.
Gonzales refused to say who was leaving. However, there are several teams that have indicated financial hardships over the past year. 100 Thieves, Cloud9, Dignitas, Golden Guardians, Immortals, NRG, and TSM all cut their academy teams when they Riot no longer mandated they have one. It’s hard to see who might be the team Gonzales claims to be leaving. The aforementioned Immortals seem like a pretty good bet. Elsewhere, perhaps the financial constraint of multiple superteams that went nowhere has caught up with 100 Thieves? Only time will tell if Gonzales’ reporting is accurate.
However, who might be joining the LCS? If Gonzales is correct, there could be multiple slots available ahead of 2024. Ahead of the Grand Final of Worlds 2022, YouTuber MrBeast said he was actively looking into joining the LCS in an ownership capacity. Could the time for MrBeast Esports be now? Then there’s Disguised Toast, the popular streamer whose League of Legends team just won the NACL Summer split. Perhaps DSG will take the step into joining the LCS proper.
For a moment, it looked like T1 were going to crash out of the LCK Summer split early. With Faker sidelined with an arm injury, the perennial LCK contenders went 3-7 across the final 10 games of the regular season. That saw them finish fifth with a 9-9 record. While Faker was able to return for the regular season finale on August 4, it was a scary time for the team. However, despite qualifying for the playoffs, Faker’s absence had put them in a bad position. They would now need to survive a do-or-die best-of-five against an equally underperforming Dplus. The loser would be sent straight to the Regional Finals.
In the end, it appeared that they had little to worry about. T1 dispatched Dplus 3-1 to secure a minimum of fourth place in the league. The result allowed T1 to maintain their slim lead in the championship points standings. This will be crucial in determining seeding for the Regional Finals, as well as automatic qualification for Worlds. The two automatic qualifications spots from the LCK go to the Summer champion and the season’s championship points leader. T1 currently has 120 points, 20 points ahead of third-place KT Rolster.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 20: Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok of T1 competes at the League of Legends – Mid-Season Invitational Bracket Stage on May 20 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games via Getty Images)
In the post-game press conference, Faker was asked about his injury. “I’m playing with a posture that allows me to be free from those main symptoms,” he said. “It’s getting better, and I’m still adjusting to the posture. I’m slowly building my game up.” Furthermore, Faker said he was hoping to face off against Chinese first seed JDG if T1 makes it to Worlds. JDG eliminated T1 at MSI earlier this year on their way to the tournament title. Meanwhile, T1 dominated JDG in the semifinals of Worlds 2022.
T1’s next match will be against KT Rolster on August 10. A win would not only secure T1 a top-three finish, but it would also widen the championship points gap between the two sides. At the time of writing, the only region to have finalized its Worlds participants is China. The LPL will be represented by JDG, Bilibili Gaming, LNG, and Weibo Gaming. Furthermore, Worlds 2023 is currently scheduled to take place in South Korea between mid-October and mid-November.
The 2023 League of Legends World Championships, better known as Worlds 2023, represents a major change for the long-running tournament. Ahead of the 2023 pro season, Riot Games announced that major format changes would be coming to the season-ending tournament. Since 2017, the tournament has operated a play-in stage, a group stage, and a knockout stage.
Starting in 2023, the scope of the play-in stage will be reduced and modified. Firstly, the play-in will no longer feature teams from South Korea or China. Furthermore, a maximum of one team from Europe or North America will be present. The last of the eight teams to qualify for the play-in stage will be determined by a preliminary qualification tournament.
Furthermore, the Worlds Qualifying Series will pit the fourth seed from Europe against the fourth seed from North America. Additionally, the winner of this best-of-five series will compete in the Worlds play-in stage.
Furthermore, the Worlds group stage has been replaced by a Swiss Stage format. Teams will play a maximum of five matches, with their opponents determined by their previous results. Subsequently, the top eight teams in the Swiss Stage will progress to an unchanged single-elimination bracket.
When Is Worlds 2023?
Worlds 2023 will be held between October 10 and November 19, 2023.
Where Is Worlds 2023 Being Held?
Worlds 2023 is being hosted by South Korea. Games will be played in Seoul and Busan. Furthermore, the Grand Final will be hosted at Gocheok Sky Dome, a domed baseball stadium in Seoul. Additionally, it is the first time since 2018 that South Korea has hosted Worlds.
What Is The 2023 Worlds Song?
The official song of Worlds 2023 has not yet been released. The Worlds song is traditionally made available in mid-October, usually around one or two weeks before Worlds begins. However, the Worlds 2022 song was “STAR WALKIN’” performed by Lil Nas X.
How Much Do You Get For Winning Worlds?
The prize pool for Worlds varies each year. There is a base prize pool provided by Riot Games. Furthermore, the prize pool is supplemented by the sale of in-game events and tickets for the event. However, the prize pool for the Worlds 2022 is $2.25 million.
Who Won Worlds 2022?
Worlds 2022 was won by LCK team DRX. They defeated fellow Korean team T1 in a thrilling Grand Final in San Francisco. However, DRX have struggled immensely in 2023 and are unlikely to qualify for Worlds 2023. If DRX do fail to qualify, it would be the first time since 2020 that the defending champion failed to make the subsequent Worlds.
Who Has Qualified For Worlds 2023?
22 teams will qualify for Worlds 2023 based on their performance in their regional Summer split. Furthermore, the 22 places at Worlds 2023 are divided as follows:
1 team from the Worlds Qualifying Series (LEC or LCS)
JDG became the first team to qualify for Worlds 2023. The reigning MSI champions will either qualify as the LPL’s first or second seed, depending on whether they win the league’s Summer split. If JDG beats LNG, Bilibili Gaming will qualify as the LPL’s second seed.
Three regions will no longer be represented at Worlds from 2023. The TCL, which represents Turkey, vacated its Worlds spot to become part of the European Region League system. Similarly, the LCO, which represents Oceania, vacated its Worlds spot and will seek qualification through the PCS. Finally, the LCL, which represents Russia, has been suspended since the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Worlds 2023 Rosters
Team
Top
Jungle
Mid
ADC
Support
LCK 1
LCK 2
LCK 3
LCK 4
JDG/LNG
JDG/Bilibili Gaming
LPL 3
LPL 4
LEC 1
LEC 2
LEC 3
LCS 1
LCS 2
LCS 3
PCS 1
PCS 2
VCS 1
VCS 2
CBLOL
LLA
LJL
LEC 4/LCS 4
Worlds 2023 Play In
The Worlds 2023 Play-In Stage will be conducted using the GSL format.
Group A
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Group B
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage
Team
Match 1
Match 2
Match 3
Match 4
Match 5
LCK 1
LCK 2
LCK 3
LCK 4
JDG/LNG
JDG/Bilibili Gaming
LPL 3
LPL 4
LEC 1
LEC 2
LEC 3
LCS 1
LCS 2
LCS 3
TBD
TBD
Furthermore, This article will be updated when new information is made available.
The race to Worlds is finally here. By the time September rolls around, just four LCS teams will be moving onto Worlds. Riot Games revealed that Worlds 2023 will feature a brand new format, meaning that three LCS teams will qualify for the tournament’s Swiss Stage. Meanwhile, one team will qualify for the Wildcard Qualifier, which will send one team to the Worlds Play-In stage.
HotNewHipHop is here to give you the perfect tool to follow along with all the action. In this article, you will find every roster move and an easy-to-understand breakdown of all ten teams’ rosters. Furthermore, you will be able to find the result of every game, as well as regularly-updated standings.
Names that appear in this table only reflect confirmed roster moves.
April 2023
7th: Team Liquid release head coach MaRin. Meanwhile, FlyQuest promote Winsome from FlyQuest Challengers to the LCS roster. Furthermore, 100 Thieves mid laner Bjergsen announced his retirement.
11th: Cloud9 release positional coach Selfie.
17th: Immortals demote support Fleshy to Immortals Challengers and sign free agent support Treatz. Elsewhere, Dignitas support Biofrost leaves the active roster to become a team content creator.
18th: Immortals release top laner Revenge.
26th. Evil Geniuses release head coach Freeze and assistant head coach H4xDefender. Meanwhile, Immortals sign free agent top laner Solo.
28th: Team Liquid promote assistant head coach Reignover to head coach and team manager Dodo to assistant head coach.
29th: Evil Geniuses release top laner Ssumday, jungler Inspired, ADC FBI, and support Vulcan.
May 2023
2nd: Dignitas sign free agent top laner Rich. Elsewhere, TSM part ways with head coach Chawy.
9th: 100 Thieves demote head coach Nukeduck to assistant head coach and hire free agent head coach Cain.
10th: Top laner Armut leaves Dignitas to join Turkish team SuperMassive.
11th: Mid laner Quid joins 100 Thieves from Gen.G Academy.
12th: Top laner Ssumday joins 100 Thieves. Ssumday previously played for 100 Thieves between Spring 2018 and Summer 2022.
13th: 100 Thieves top laner Tenacity leaves the active roster to become a team content creator.
May 17th: Dignitas promote academy support Diamond to the LCS roster.
18th: TSM sign free agent head coach Reven. Elsewhere, free agent Armao role-swaps from positional coach to jungler and signs with Evil Geniuses.
19th: FlyQuest release substitute support Eyla and sign free agent support Vulcan.
23rd: TSM announce their Summer roster, adding free agent top laner Hauntzer and free agent mid laner Ruby.
25th: Evil Geniuses head of player development Razvan moves to the role of head coach.
27th: NRG release ADC Luger. Furthermore, support IgNar signs from Dignitas.
June 2023
2nd: Golden Guardians sign free agent ADC Array as their team substitute.
9th: Free agent Svenskeren role-swaps from jungler to strategic coach and joins Dignitas.
10th: FlyQuest sends support Winsome to their academy team.
12th: Evil Geniuses sign top laner Revenge, jungler Armao, ADC UNF0RGIVEN, and support Eyla. Furthermore, Evil Geniuses promotes jungler Sheiden from their academy roster. Elsewhere, Dignitas sign free agent support Diamond.
July 2023
6th: Team Liquid promote academy mid laner APA to the LCS roster.
11th: Dignitas sign free agent support poome.
12th: FlyQuest promote academy mid laner Spirax to the LCS roster.
29th: Immortals release jungler Kenvi
NACL Roster Moves
June 2023
1st: Disguised sign top laner FakeGod, jungler Tomio, mid laner Young, ADC Meech, support Zeyzal, and head coach Goldenglue.
6th: Supernova releases top laner Dragoon, jungler Kisno, mid laner Onat, ADC Azog, support Chookies, and substitute Avril. Meanwhile, the team signs top laner Qwacker, jungler Music, midlaner RobbyBob, ADC Sketchdreams, support Trevor, head coach Mesmerism, and assistants Pookar and Shiazuri. Elsewhere, FlyQuest Challengers sign top laner Faisal.
9th: Cinncinati FEAR signs top laner Phillip, support JayJ, head coach Kiao and assistant coach Xav. Meanwhile, AOE Gold releases jungler Winnie, support SkyTec, and positional coach Fawn. Furthermore, AOE Gold signs top laner Concept, jungler Will, and support breezyyy. Additionally, AOE Gold, promotes Akaadian from assistant coach to head coach and Zaga from analyst to assistant coach. Meanwhile, Team Fish Taco announces their NCAL summer roster of top laner lunacia, jungler RoseThorn, mid laner Onat, ADC Spawn, and support Nxi, who role-swaps from jungler.
12th: Supernova part ways with head coach Mesmerism and promote assistant coach Shiazuri to head coach.
The top eight teams qualify for the LCS Summer playoffs. First and second place begin in the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Third through sixth place begin in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals. Meanwhile, seventh and eighth place begin in the Lower Bracket.
Team
Record
Cloud9 [Q]
13 – 5
Golden Guardians [Q]
13 – 5
Evil Geniuses [Q]
12 – 6
Team Liquid [Q]
10 – 8
NRG [Q]
9 – 9
TSM [Q]
8 – 10
Dignitas [Q]
7 – 11
100 Thieves [Q]
7 – 11
FlyQuest [E]
6 – 12
Immortals [E]
5 – 13
LCS Week 1
Nukeduck played as 100 Thieves’ mid laner due to visa issues for Quid.
After the monumental change to move the LEC to three splits per year, we have finally reached the Summer Split. Here, champions will be forged, and the final attendees of the LEC Finals chosen. G2 and MAD Lions have already qualified. They will be joined by the winner of this split, plus the three-highest-scoring teams in Championship Points. From there, those six teams will battle it out for four places at Worlds. However, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
HotNewHipHop is here to give you the perfect tool to follow along with all the action. In this article, you will find every roster move and an easy-to-understand breakdown of all ten teams’ rosters. Furthermore, you will be able to find the result of every game, as well as regularly-updated standings.
30th: Team Vitality bench jungler Bo and promote academy jungler Daglas
July 2023
4th: Team Vitality jungler Daglas returns to Vitality.Bee
Match Results
Per the new league format, the split’s regularseason will comprise of three weeks of three matchdays each. The top eight teams qualify for the GSL round of the playoffs.
Team Vitality’s loss officially eliminated them from playoff contention. Furthermore, SK Gaming’s win confirmed Team Vitality’s 10th-place finish.
July 3
Team BDS 1 – 0 MAD Lions
Team Vitality 0 – 1 Excel Esports
KOI 1 – 0 Astralis
Team Heretics 0 – 1 G2
SK Gaming 1 – 0 Fnatic
Group Stage
Group A
G2
Team Heretics
Team BDS
KOI
Results
G2 2 – 0 KOI
Team Heretics 1 – 2 Team BDS
G2 2 – 0 Team BDS
KOI 0 – 2 Team Heretics
Team BDS 0 – 2 Team Heretics
Group B
Excel Esports
SK Gaming
Fnatic
MAD Lions
Results
Fnatic 0 – 2 SK Gaming
Excel Esports 2 – 0 MAD Lions
SK Gaming 1 – 2 Excel Esports
Fnatic 2 – 0 MAD Lions
SK Gaming 0 – 2 Fnatic
Knockout Stage
Lower Bracket Eliminator: Team Heretics v Fnatic
Upper Bracket Final: G2 v Excel
Lower Bracket Final: Loser of G2/Excel v Winner of Team Heretics/Fnatic
Grand Final: Winner of Upper Bracket Final v Winner of Lower Bracket Final
LEC Finals
The LEC Finals will take place in Montpellier, France between August 19 and September 10. The six teams competing will be a combination of split winners and highest championship points earners.
Qualified:
G2 (Winter split champions)
MAD Lions (Spring split champions)
Summer split champions (or best finisher if G2 wins)
Highest championship points (excluding G2, MAD Lions, and Summer split champion) [Currently – Team BDS]
Second-highest championship points (excluding G2, MAD Lions, and Summer split champion) [Currently – SK Gaming]
Bold indicates that a team is no longer competing in the Summer split and has finalized their championship points
Totals include the minimum points a team can earn during the Summer split.
Astralis and Team Vitality have finalized their points for the year. Astralis are officially eliminated as their total of 105 is not enough to qualify for the LEC Finals. Team Vitality can still qualify for the LEC Finals, depending on the performances of other teams.
KOI have finalized their points for the year. They can still qualify for the LEC Finals, but their qualification depends on the results of Excel, Fnatic, and Team Heretics.
Team Vitality have been eliminated from LEC Finals contention. While there are teams with less CP than them, at least one team currently behind Vitality will finish the split with more CP than them.
July 15 marks the first day of the LEC Summer split playoffs. The remaining eight teams will face off in a GSL-style group stage to determine which four teams move on to the knockout bracket. Furthermore, the group stage runs until July 23.
This is the first year of the LEC’s new three-split format, which culminates in the LEC Finals. That event is set to begin in Montpellier, France on August 19. It will feature six teams – the three split winners and the three teams with the highest championship points. If a team wins a split but has already qualified for the LEC Finals, the automatic berth is passed down to the best-placed team who is yet to qualify.
But who’s left in the competition? Who can still qualify for the LEC Finals? And how can they still qualify? Well, dear reader, we have the answer to all those questions and more.
When Are The LEC Playoffs?
The LEC playoffs begin on July 15. The group stage runs from July 15 to July 23, with matches played on July 15, 16, 17, 22, and 23. The knockout bracket begins on July 28 and continues until July 30.
How Can I Watch The LEC Playoffs?
The LEC playoffs will be streamed on the LEC’s official Twitch page. Additionally, the LEC playoffs are 100% free to watch on Twitch. You can also buy tickets to watch the matches live at the LEC Studio in Berlin, Germany.
Who Is Taking Part In The LEC Playoffs?
There are eight teams in the LEC playoffs. In Group A, we have G2, Koi, Team BDS, and Team Heretics. Meanwhile, in Group B, we have Excel Esports, Fnatic, MAD Lions, and SK Gaming.
Who Has Qualified For The LEC Finals?
Currently, G2 and MAD Lions are the only teams to have qualified for the LEC Finals. They did this by winning the Winter and Spring splits respectively. The winner of the Summer split, or the best-placed team who isn’t G2 or MAD, will also automatically qualify.
Who Can Still Qualify For The LEC Finals?
Excel Esports, Fnatic, KOI, SK Gaming, Team BDS, Team Heretics, and Team Vitality can all still qualify. However, this is where it gets complicated, given that Team Vitality is not participating in the Summer playoffs. Furthermore, Astralis is the only LEC team who cannot qualify for the LEC Finals. They did not make the playoffs and ended the season with 105 Championship Points. This is not enough to qualify as one of the highest Championship Point-earning teams.
Okay Then, How Can Teams Qualify For The LEC Finals?
Let’s do this team-by-team and break down their scenarios. However, as things stand, this is the Championship Points [CP] table. I’ve excluded MAD Lions (250) and G2 (225) because they have already qualified. Furthermore, these points totals reflect the minimum amount of points each team can earn based on the standings at the time of writing. To make things simpler, these totals include the 30 points all teams except Team Vitality can earn for finishing a minimum of 8th.
Team
CP
Team BDS
160
KOI
150
Team Vitality
137
SK Gaming
120
Astralis [E]
105
Fnatic
60
Team Heretics
60
Excel Esports
40
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll say that the minimum total for qualification is Team Vitality’s 137, meaning you need at least 138 points to qualify for the LEC Finals. However, it’s sadly not that simple because we also have to acknowledge that one of the teams in contention will earn an automatic berth.
Excel Esports
BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 11: Andrei Pascu “Odoamne” competes at the League of Legends EMEA Championship “LEC” at LEC Studio on March 11, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
Current Total: 10
Excel Esports qualified for the playoffs after a wild final two weeks of the Summer regular season. However, they face the most difficult path to the LEC Finals. Having finished 10th in both the Winter and Spring splits, they bring just 10 CP into the playoffs with them.
The “easiest” route for Excel to qualify for the LEC Finals is to continue their Cinderella run all the way to the Summer split title. However, due to only having 10 CP, the lowest that Excel can finish and still have more points than Team Vitality is second. Even a third-place finish, which earns 120 CP, would still see them finish below Vitality.
However, if SK Gaming finishes eighth, Excel could potentially reach the playoffs as the six-seed if they finish third. Despite this slim shot, it would hinge on how the rest of the table lined up.
Fnatic
BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 11: Iván Martín Díaz “Razork” competes at the League of Legends EMEA Championship “LEC” at LEC Studio on March 11, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
Current Total: 30
Fnatic became one of the best teams during the Summer regular season, thanks in large part to their rookie ADC, Noah. However, it has been a tough year for Fnatic, who finished 9th and 8th in the first two splits.
This will be the last time I say as it is true for all teams besides Vitality, but Fnatic’s best way to the LEC Finals is to win the split. Beyond that, Fnatic must finish at least third to surpass the points total of Team Vitality. However, in the scenario in which Excel finishes third and SK Gaming finishes eighth, a fourth-place finish could be enough to finish sixth. However, it would depend on the rest of the table.
KOI
BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 11: Mathias Jensen “Szygenda” competes at the League of Legends EMEA Championship “LEC” at LEC Studio on March 11, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
Current Total: 120
KOI slipped a little in the Summer split but benefit from two strong runs in the previous splits. This means that an eighth-place finish in the Summer playoffs still sees them end the year on 150 CP. While dependent on the rest of the table, this should be more than enough to see KOI finish as a LEC Finals participant.
SK Gaming
BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 11: Mark van Woensel “Markoon” competes at the League of Legends EMEA Championship “LEC” at LEC Studio on March 11, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
Current Total: 90
It’s been an up-and-down season for SK Gaming but they still have a shot at the LEC Finals. The worst thing that they could do is lose their momentum and finish eighth. That would see them finish the season on 120 CP, below Team Vitality, and as the worst-placed team who could potentially finish on 120 CP. To surpass Team Vitality (137 CP), SK will need to finish at least 6th (a 7th-place finish would see them finish 2 points behind Vitality). However, SK does not really control their own fate as their finish, aside from a top-four, really depends on how the rest of the table shakes out.
Team BDS
BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 11: Adam Maanane “Adam” competes at the League of Legends EMEA Championship “LEC” at LEC Studio on March 11, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
Current Total: 130
Like KOI, Team BDS slipped during the summer but are buoyed by their previous performances. They currently hold the highest CP total outside of a split winner. This means that even an eighth-place finish sees them close out with far more points than Vitality (160). It’s hard to see a scenario in which BDS does not make the LEC Finals. It would have to involve the likes of Excel, Fnatic, Heretics, and SK Gaming running the top of the table.
Team Heretics
BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 11: Marcin Jankowsk “Jankos” competes at the League of Legends EMEA Championship “LEC” at LEC Studio on March 11, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
Current Total: 30
Like Fnatic, Heretics went from bottom three finishes to one of the best teams in the Summer. Unfortunately, that makes their journey to the LEC Finals incredibly difficult. Heretics must finish at least third to surpass the points total of Team Vitality. However, in the scenario in which Excel finishes third and SK Gaming finishes eighth, a fourth-place finish could be enough to finish sixth. However, it would depend on the rest of the table. In short, Heretics have the exact same win condition as Fnatic does.
Team Vitality
BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 12: Zhou Yang-Bo “Bo” at a backstage portrait session at the second game day at the spring split at the League of Legends EMEA Championship “LEC” at the LEC Studio on March 12, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)
Current Total: 137
Team Vitality may be in the most interesting position of all LEC teams. They are still in contention for a LEC Finals slot, despite finishing 10th in the Summer split. They have concluded their season with 137 points. As you know from this article, that is the baseline I have been using to mark all other teams. In short, Vitality needs as many teams currently below them to have early exits from the playoffs. However, we will once again remind ourselves of essentially what Vitality needs from each team currently trailing them:
SK Gaming needs to finish 7th or lower
Fnatic needs to finish 4th or lower
Team Heretics needs to finish 4th or lower
Excel Esports needs to finish 3rd or lower
Now, it is worth mentioning, because we are not painstakingly charting out all 64 (?) possible playoff permutations, there is likely a scenario I have not covered. However, this is the most straightforward way to explain what’s at stake over the next few weeks in the LEC.
The race to Worlds is finally here. By the time September rolls around, just four LCS teams will be moving onto Worlds. Riot Games revealed that Worlds 2023 will feature a brand new format, meaning that three LCS teams will qualify for the tournament’s Swiss Stage. Meanwhile, one team will qualify for the Wildcard Qualifier, which will send one team to the Worlds Play-In stage.
HotNewHipHop is here to give you the perfect tool to follow along with all the action. In this article, you will find every roster move and an easy-to-understand breakdown of all ten teams’ rosters. Furthermore, you will be able to find the result of every game, as well as regularly-updated standings.
Names that appear in this table only reflect confirmed roster moves.
April 2023
7th: Team Liquid release head coach MaRin. Meanwhile, FlyQuest promote Winsome from FlyQuest Challengers to the LCS roster. Furthermore, 100 Thieves mid laner Bjergsen announced his retirement.
11th: Cloud9 release positional coach Selfie.
17th: Immortals demote support Fleshy to Immortals Challengers and sign free agent support Treatz. Elsewhere, Dignitas support Biofrost leaves the active roster to become a team content creator.
18th: Immortals release top laner Revenge.
26th. Evil Geniuses release head coach Freeze and assistant head coach H4xDefender. Meanwhile, Immortals sign free agent top laner Solo.
28th: Team Liquid promote assistant head coach Reignover to head coach and team manager Dodo to assistant head coach.
29th: Evil Geniuses release top laner Ssumday, jungler Inspired, ADC FBI, and support Vulcan.
May 2023
2nd: Dignitas sign free agent top laner Rich. Elsewhere, TSM part ways with head coach Chawy.
9th: 100 Thieves demote head coach Nukeduck to assistant head coach and hire free agent head coach Cain.
10th: Top laner Armut leaves Dignitas to join Turkish team SuperMassive.
11th: Mid laner Quid joins 100 Thieves from Gen.G Academy.
12th: Top laner Ssumday joins 100 Thieves. Ssumday previously played for 100 Thieves between Spring 2018 and Summer 2022.
13th: 100 Thieves top laner Tenacity leaves the active roster to become a team content creator.
May 17th: Dignitas promote academy support Diamond to the LCS roster.
18th: TSM sign free agent head coach Reven. Elsewhere, free agent Armao role-swaps from positional coach to jungler and signs with Evil Geniuses.
19th: FlyQuest release substitute support Eyla and sign free agent support Vulcan.
23rd: TSM announce their Summer roster, adding free agent top laner Hauntzer and free agent mid laner Ruby.
25th: Evil Geniuses head of player development Razvan moves to the role of head coach.
27th: NRG release ADC Luger. Furthermore, support IgNar signs from Dignitas.
June 2023
2nd: Golden Guardians sign free agent ADC Array as their team substitute.
9th: Free agent Svenskeren role-swaps from jungler to strategic coach and joins Dignitas.
10th: FlyQuest sends support Winsome to their academy team.
12th: Evil Geniuses sign top laner Revenge, jungler Armao, ADC UNF0RGIVEN, and support Eyla. Furthermore, Evil Geniuses promotes jungler Sheiden from their academy roster. Elsewhere, Dignitas sign free agent support Diamond.
July 2023
6th: Team Liquid promote academy mid laner APA to the LCS roster.
NACL Roster Moves
June 2023
1st: Disguised sign top laner FakeGod, jungler Tomio, mid laner Young, ADC Meech, support Zeyzal, and head coach Goldenglue.
6th: Supernova releases top laner Dragoon, jungler Kisno, mid laner Onat, ADC Azog, support Chookies, and substitute Avril. Meanwhile, the team signs top laner Qwacker, jungler Music, midlaner RobbyBob, ADC Sketchdreams, support Trevor, head coach Mesmerism, and assistants Pookar and Shiazuri. Elsewhere, FlyQuest Challengers sign top laner Faisal.
9th: Cinncinati FEAR signs top laner Phillip, support JayJ, head coach Kiao and assistant coach Xav. Meanwhile, AOE Gold releases jungler Winnie, support SkyTec, and positional coach Fawn. Furthermore, AOE Gold signs top laner Concept, jungler Will, and support breezyyy. Additionally, AOE Gold, promotes Akaadian from assistant coach to head coach and Zaga from analyst to assistant coach. Meanwhile, Team Fish Taco announces their NCAL summer roster of top laner lunacia, jungler RoseThorn, mid laner Onat, ADC Spawn, and support Nxi, who role-swaps from jungler.
12th: Supernova part ways with head coach Mesmerism and promote assistant coach Shiazuri to head coach.
The top eight teams qualify for the LCS Summer playoffs. First and second place begin in the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Third through sixth place begin in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals. Meanwhile, seventh and eighth place begin in the Lower Bracket.
Team
Record
Evil Geniuses
9 – 2
Cloud9
8 – 3
Golden Guardians
8 – 3
Team Liquid
6 – 5
100 Thieves
5 – 6
Dignitas
5 – 6
TSM
5 – 6
NRG
4 – 7
FlyQuest
3 – 8
Immortals
2 – 9
LCS Week 1
Nukeduck played as 100 Thieves’ mid laner due to visa issues for Quid.
100 Thieves has never been content to simply be an esports team. Company founder Matthew “Nadeshot“ Haag has always been very clear about his intentions. He wants to make 100T the luxury lifestyle brand of the gaming world. This has included a partnership with Gucci in 2021, the sugar-free energy Juvee, and series A funding led by Drake. However, one major area the company has invested in is game design.
It all began with the acquisition of gaming peripheral company Highground in 2021. That blossomed into the announcement that 100T were working on their own FPS product simply known as Project X. While Project X appears to be some way away still, 100T aren’t sitting idly by. After all, it would be very un-100T to simply wait for the game to be ready. Instead, they have reportedly jumped on a smaller side project to be deployed inside of the biggest games on the market.
In a video released to Twitter, Nadeshot and 100T CPO Pete Hawley revealed that they would be dropping a Fortnite game mode on July 11. As yet unnamed mode would be a three-on-three heist game. Teams would have to infiltrate a bank, steal money, and then successfully escape. The game was designed in Unreal Engine Fortnite, a UE build that Epic Games has made available for the development of internal Fortnite projects. Fortnite has become the hub for wild promotional crossovers. In fact, 100T feels tame compared to the likes of Marshmello and Travis Scott concerts. There are still few things weirder than being killed by someone in an Ariana Grande cosmetic.
According to Nade and Hawley, their development team was able to put together the game mode in under two months. Furthermore, they stated that they hope to be able to utilize the game to help provide feedback in order to improve UE Fortnite. Meanwhile, Project X continues to be worked on behind the scenes. Elsewhere, 100 Thieves continue to have mixed success in their esports operations. Their LoL team is currently 4th in the LCS. Meanwhile, their Apex Legends team continues to struggle in pro play, as has their VALORANT team.
Speaking after T1’s 2-1 series win over Nongshim RedForce on July 2, Faker revealed that he was being treated for an arm injury. “I haven’t been feeling well recently. I believe my performance since the BRION match may have been impacted because of this […] I am under treatment and in talks with the team,” Faker told the media. The news hit an international audience thanks to a translation from veteran reporter Ashley Kang. While Faker assured fans that he was doing okay, there were fears that Faker would have to step away from the rift to recover. This was especially the case, given the hectic LCK schedule that the fact that T1 were scheduled to play on July 5.
Subsequently, that’s exactly what happened. On July 5, T1 announced that they would bench Faker to allow him to “take a break and focus on his treatment and recovery.” It would be the first time that Faker would miss LCK matches since 2021. Toward the end of the 2021 Spring split, Faker benched himself because he did not believe that he was playing well enough. Ahead of their July 5 series against DRX, T1 announced that academy mid laner Poby would be taking over from Faker.
In theory, it should have been the perfect debut for Poby. Despite being the reigning world champions, DRX have struggled mightily in 2023. They were just 2-6 entering the match against T1. However, they looked like a completely different team in this rematch of the 2022 Worlds Grand Final. In Game 1, they outkilled T1 19-2. While things were a little less lopsided in Game 2, DRX still outkilled the perennial champions 18-6. DRX improved to 3-6 while T1 fell to 6-3.
17-year-old Poby had a debut that he will likely prefer to forget. Playing Jayce and Annie, he went 2/8/2 across the two-game sweep. T1 is next in action on July 8 against league leaders Gen.G. It’s unknown how long Faker will remain sidelined. However, T1’s announcement of his benching makes it sound like they are hoping he will return before the end of the split. This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop.
By the lofty standards of T1, the 2023 Summer split has been somewhat disappointing. At the time of writing, the team is 6-2 in the LCK. By comparison, T1 have lost just four matches over the last two splits combined. The slow start has seen them leapfrogged by an undefeated Gen.G as well as a one-loss KT Rolster. However, part of the issue may lie with the health of their veteran mid laner, Faker.
Faker, who has been spent his entire career with T1, has essentially professional League of Legends every week since 2013. When he’s not in pro play, he’s more than like at home or at the training facility playing the game. Faker has a 3.7 KDA this split, which puts him around the middle of the league for that category. If he maintains that KDA, it would be his lowest tally since the 2021 Summer split. However, Faker recently revealed that he has been dealing with an injury that has affected his play.
In the press conference:@Faker: I haven’t been feeling well recently. I believe my performance since the BRION match may have been impacted because of this […]
Speaking after T1’s 2-1 series win over Nongshim RedForce on July 2, Faker revealed that he was being treated for an arm injury. “I haven’t been feeling well recently. I believe my performance since the BRION match may have been impacted because of this […] I am under treatment and in talks with the team,” Faker told the media. The news hit an international audience thanks to a translation from veteran reporter Ashley Kang. Arm injuries can be common, especially in more intense leagues such as the LCK. Dplus star Showmaker received treatment for a wrist injury in 2020. Meanwhile a recurring shoulder injury led to the first retirement of Chinese legend Uzi in 2019.
T1 played BRION Esports on June 17, meaning that the issue has been hampering Faker’s play for nearly two weeks. However, T1 has gone 4-1 during that span, only losing to the aforementioned KT Rolster. While Faker reassured fans that the injury wasn’t too severe, he won’t have much time to recover. T1 are scheduled to play DRX on July 5, giving him just three days of rest. This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop.
