LCS roster update: FlyQuest, 100T and Liquid are set make move

Three of the most popular LCS teams, Team Liquid, Fly Quest, and 100 Thieves are reportedly planning to make roster moves ahead of the 2023 Season. 

The League of Legends community is in a state of shock and admiration after DRX completed the most remarkable comeback story in the history to win the League of Legends World Championship. North American League fans, on the other hand, are preparing for the severe roster changes that are about to happen following the region’s failure on the international stage.

The North American organization 100 Thieves is reportedly promoting Academy player Alan “Busio” Cwalina to the starting LCS roster while assigning the coaching duties to Mad Lions’ assistant coach Christophe “Kaas” van. Team Liquid is reportedly set to extend its contract with support player Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in.

While Brandon “Josedeodo” Villegas, the starting jungler for FlyQuest, has been allowed to explore alternative options following a lackluster 2022 LCS campaign. It has also been reported that Cloud9 verbally agreed to terms with Dimitri “Diplex” Ponomarev and Jang “EMENES” Min-soo, earlier this month. With so many changes already been reported, the North American League of Legends scene appears to be in for one of the most thrilling offseasons in recent years. 

Team Liquid to continue with  CoreJJ

According to a report from Brieuc “LEC Wooloo” Seeger, Team Liquid has decided to continue with its star support player CoreJJ, extending his contract for the 2023 season. CoreJJ, who joined Liquid in 2019 as a starting support, won four titles with the team, including LCS Spring 2019, LCS Summer 2019, LCS Lock-In 2021, and LCS Lock-In 2022. The star support also made it to every League World Championships with the North American since his joining but missed the 2022 Worlds following the team’s lackluster performance at the LCS Summer Split.

After the organization’s League of Legends season came to a dismal conclusion, Steve Arhancet addressed the fans earlier in September. Arhancet confirmed in the video that the organization’s LCS roster will be overhauled for the 2023 campaign. Steve’s intentions were clearly reflected in the organization’s decision to part ways with bot laner Steven “Hans sama” Liv. The North American organization’s decision to restructure the team was further validated when several reports suggested that Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, the renowned LCS midlaner, is departing the team. However, as Liquid plans to extend CoreJJ’s contract, the rebuild—if it happens—will be done around him.

FlyQuest parts ways with Josedeodo 

Joining the pre-offseason roster reshuffle action, FlyQuest has allowed its jungler Josedeodo to explore new options as a restricted free agent. The 22-year-old Argentine earned the accolade of being the first LATAM player to be added to the North American League circuit in 2019 after excelling in his early years of play in the Liga Latinoamérica (LLA) and Latin America South (LAS).  Josedeodo has also made an appearance on the international stage, competing in the 2020 World Championship with team Rainbow7. His iconic performance on Lee Sin pick received global recognition despite his squad being eliminated from the competition early with a 19th to 20th place finish.

After his brilliant showing on the international stage, he was expected to be one of the most explosive prospects, but he was unable to live up to those expectations as soon as he joined Flying Quest and faced the North American teams at the LCS. In both the LCS Spring Split and Summer Split regular seasons, his KDA, kill share, and damage percentage all placed him among the league’s worst performer jungler. The 22-year-old player’s tweet suggests that he hasn’t yet engaged in discussions with any team, so it’s unclear which team he will join next. Fans have to wait until November 21, when the League’s official free agency period starts, and teams can publicly reveal new roster moves.

100 Thieves turn their eyes to the Academy player

Following the collapse of the North American teams at the Worlds, 100 Thieves are turning to their Academy prospects to represent the organization in the upcoming 2023 season. According to a report from Blix.gg, the organization is planning to promote Academy player Alan “Busio” Cwalina to the starting LCS roster. Busio, who joined the organization in 2020, has emerged as one of the Academy League’s most promising players. The 19-year-old thrived throughout the year, propelling 100 Thieves academy to top four finishes in the LCS Proving Ground Summer and Spring Split. 

However, it was his performance during the Summer Split that won him the title of “Most Valuable Prospect” in the Academy league and probably convinced the organization to give him a shot on the starting roster. The organization has also reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Christophe “Kaas” van Oudheusden to coach 100 Thieves in the upcoming 2023 LCS season. He has been the assistant coach of the Mad Lions since 2020. With the European squad, Kaas won both the LEC Spring Split and Summer Split in 2021. However, the European coach is reportedly looking to move to North America to join 100T after Mad Lions’ collapse at the Worlds following their disappointing play-in loss against Evil Geniuses.

Header: Riot Games