This is the first installment of the Ongamenet Champions Roster Update series. Here I will post and elaborate on roster changes in the League as we transition from Champions Summer ’14 to Champions Winter ’15. I will post these no less than every two weeks, but on an as-needed basis. So I will not post them when they happen, nor will I only post one (except for cleaning up loose ends in preseason if any). I will collect multiple roster changes and post them when I feel I have enough to justify the post. Without further ado, the current list of roster changes.

Jin Air Falcons Rock

The Player

The top laner of Jin Air Falcons, Rock was definitely a solid player. Citing a desire to pursue a career in law enforcement following his mandatory military service, Rock retired from League of Legends entirely. It is presumed that he will not be returning to the scene as anything other than a spectator.

The Legacy

Rock’s time in Champions was short, starting on Alienware Arena (as Pera) and joining the Falcons playing in Champions Summer. In that time though, he certainly showed that he was more than adequate at his role. In a League saturated with top-tier toplaners, Rock was able to hold his own and be one of the most consistent players on his team. Many fans were upset to hear of his departure, citing that he was quickly improving to become the best player on his team.

The Replacement

None! Yet! I will continue to watch the feeds, as I would anyways, but there have been no official statements as to the status of the JAF roster. It’s possible that Radar, their sub (mains jungle) will fill a spot somewhere, but it’s more likely that they’ll pick up someone new. I would predict some new talent from Korean Challenger, but again, it remains to be seen

KT Bullets Ryu

The Player

The midlaner jungler for KT Bullets, I and many others feel like he was a main cause of their poor performance this past season. Clearly the KT coaching staff agree, as they have released Ryu. It is unknown if he plans to move to NA, given the creation of GIMP (Global Interregional Movement Policy). It was stated that prior to the creation of this policy he had planned to, but his current plans have not been revealed. (Post-Publish update: Ryu’s old NA account has recent games played on it with another high-rank KR challenger. It would appear that Ryu still aims to enter the NALCS)

The Legacy

If only he stopped while he was in his prime (no pun intended). Ryu was part of the KT Bullets dream team, the midlaner of “The second best team in the world.” And now he’s, quite frankly, washed up and downright bad. The change from Mid to Jungle was likely a move made by the coaching staff to maintain eligibility requirements, because I frankly would not believe if their coach actually expected Ryu to perform in Jungle. He did not. But one most certainly look back, as Ryu was without a doubt among the best midlaners once.

The Replacement

Prime is the new jungler for KT Bullets. His past experience includes a run on MiG Blitz in Champions Summer 2013, and a position on the failed Quantic Gaming experiment. Prime is good for Bullets because he has room to grow. If he can or not remains to be seen, but one must admit that at this point anything KT Bullets could find would probably be better than Ryu.

KT Bullets Mafa

The Player

The support for KT Bullets, Mafa was long heralded as being one of the best supports in Korea. He, like Ryu, was a member of “The second best team in the world.” KT Bullets has since fallen off, and with them, Mafa has been in decline as well. KT decided to release Mafa at the same time as Ryu. There has been no stated plans to join another team by Mafa, and it is entirely possible that he will not return as a player to the scene.

The Legacy

There was two reasons why Score was named “The Immortal Score:” he had impeccable positioning, and a great defensive support. While many supports in Korea are known for their offensive playmaking abilities, Mafa was long heralded as the best at defending his carry. Alas, all good things come to an end, and Mafa’s career is no exception. KT Bullets released Mafa, likely hoping to foster a new team to compete alongside KT Arrows, though many will always remember the Insec-Ryu-Mafa-Score-Kakao dream team.

The Replacement

Destiny is a Korean challenger player. The only publicly available film of him was his performance in the Korean Regional Qualifiers where his team lost 3-0 to Najin White Shield. Frankly, they got trounced. Of the three matches played, Destiny’s best KDA was 1.33 or 0-3-4. Hardly awe-inspiring. There is plenty of room to improve, but I’m not convinced that Destiny is a good investment yet.

CJ Entus Frost Swift

The Player

Swift was the latest in the ever-changing CJ Frost Jungle role. After Helios it was Lira, after Lira it was Swift, and now Swift parts ways as well. Chosen for his synergy with Coco from when they played together on Xenics Blast, CJ has evidently decided that their jungle is the role that needs reworking (which many others outside the organization would hotly argue against). Swift left of his own accord, according to the CJ Entus Facebook announcement. There have been no announcements of new teams he is looking to join yet.

The Legacy

Another player with nothing to remember him by except for what he could’ve been, Swift seems like a player whose competitive career could’ve taken off had he not been cut from left CJ. CJ seems dedicated to maintaining Shy, Madlife, and more recently Space in the Frost roster, and working around Mid and Jungle. Having found a high-quality mid in Coco, Jungle is their new experiment. Swift got caught in the crossfire of CJ’s “It didn’t work so replace it” mentality surrounding the Jungle role, and he has been removed from the equation. Rather unfortunate considering he seemed to be one of the better players on the team through the short-lived season.

The Replacement

None, as of yet. CJ has all of offseason to announce a new jungler, but I hope that they find someone for a long-term solution and consider the possibility that perhaps the Jungle is not actually where the problem lies. Who knows, with roster swaps we might see some really good players become available for CJ to take advantage of in the near future. #Piglife2015

Post-Publication Edit Note: It was brought to my attention that Swift left of his own accord and was not cut from CJ. I have corrected this information, and would like to formally apologize for spreading this misinformation. It was not my intention to tell a lie that may tarnish the reputation of the CJ Entus organization and/or management. I feel like they have made multiple mistakes in managing their ailing team, but I believe they do not deserve to have lies told that may hurt them. Again, I apologize for writing based off this misinformation.