Looking back at Season 3 of what was then known as the North American League Championship Series, only a few familiar faces appear to still be here. Of those, Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi departed the league this season, and only Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, Jason “WildTurtle” Tran, Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black, Jake “Xmithie” Puchero, and Will “Meteos” Hartman remain. Notably, all of these players bar Wildturtle were finalists in 2018, and all of them have won at least two LCS splits in the past.



These remaining veterans were spread across three teams last season, with Aphromoo and Wildturtle looking particularly uninspiring. Now more than ever, however, the old guard seem revitalized – the worst record among them for Spring 2020 being Xmithie’s cash out in Immortals. Aphromoo and WildTurtle look like serviceable talents on their respective teams, and both Doublelift and Meteos have never not been the mark of domestic greatness in their positions.



When these players lose their drive – or stop playing entirely – League of Legends will have truly been through its glory days, with whatever renaissance awaits.

LCS’ “new” talent

When it comes to Academy line-ups, most teams have opted to invest in what many would consider to be rookie talents. Some, however, have taken straight LCS line-ups – cough, Dignitas, cough – with the intention of selling on the more than serviceable players to other LCS teams after they convincingly win the Academy year.



Breeding new talent is difficult when the Scouting Grounds tournament has been so notoriously hit or miss for most organizations. Whether this is infrastructure issues or just players not developing well, going all-in on an unproven rookie is a gamble most teams aren’t willing to take any more – especially since franchising is all about recouping the insane amounts of money your organisation has spent on the spot. More wins equals more fans and more fans equals more money.

I would like to take a look at three marksmen between Academy and LCS. The first is Johnson “Johnsun” Nguyen, a Team SoloMid trainee making his debut on the LCS stage alongside Aphromoo in Dignitas. Playing admirably these first two weeks against very strong competition, Johnsun would be rookie of the split – if any other rookies existed.

The next thing I want to draw your attention to is Dignitas’ Academy AD carry, Kim “Fenix” Jae-hun. The long-established Team Liquid midlaner made a transition to the role this off-season, and his leadership would surely be valuable if Dignitas Academy had… any rookies at all.



Brandon “Mash” Phan is FlyQuest Academy’s marksman. If you don’t recognize the name, Mash was a finalist in the LCS’ debut split on Team Coast. The veteran player was an in-house substitute and Korean ladder grinder for the past few years, and FLY giving him a chance is both good and yet shows unmitigated unwillingness to take a chance on a true rookie.

LCS veterans, a product of their time

While North American solo queue was never too competitive after Seasons 1 and 2 – and the introduction of the Korean server – the era that forged these players was certainly more focused than the mess of one trick ponies and trolls the servers currently are.



As mentioned above, veteran players bring shotcalling and wisdom to the younger members of their squads. Consider also that the myth of mechanics deteriorating with age has been disproven by many esports, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2, and as such the stigma of picking up older players has fallen away.



The issue is that established, veteran talent often have typically already made their skill ceilings abundantly clear. The players listed in the introductory paragraph are the exception, not the rule.



The hottest news of the off-season was that once-premier North American midlaner Eugene “Pobelter” Park was teamless for the first time in over five seasons. The multiple times LCS champion wasn’t exactly stellar in the 2019 splits, but teams should find a balance between veterans, rookies, and imports.

Even though we advocate for more rookies, it’s important to note that even Dignitas and their sole rookie of the LCS almost ended up as a five-veteran team. The squad made a play for Sneaky, but the former Cloud9 franchise player had too hefty a buyout.



With North America – and the LCS – being the “retirement home” for “washed up” European and Korean legacy players, it does call into question where all the North American players ready to cash out go.



Besides Immortals, that is.



(Disclaimer: I love Xmithie and he was Counter Logic Gaming’s best player for some time).

Should LCS teams be signing more veteran players? Yes, they're skilled and reliable 67%, 2 votes 2 votes 67% 2 votes - 67% of all votes

No, we need more new faces 33%, 1 vote 1 vote 33% 1 vote - 33% of all votes Total Votes: 3 Voting is closed Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Should NA organizations look to veteran talents to spearhead their rosters and get their shit together? Maybe. You’ll notice that every player still a part of an LCS team from that inaugural year are all strong voices within their rosters. Chance on a rookie but get some guarantee with your veteran leaders – known quantities are known quantities but in-game clarity and decision making are invaluable qualities.