Like physical sports, there are roster changes that happen in eSports teams. It may be that the member is disgruntled, or he decides to make a team of his own. In 2021, several movements happened, and whether or not it is for the team betterment, their management is the only entity that could make a judgment. To fans and bettors, however, these movements are relevant.
League of Legends Roster Changes
Mid-Season Invitational is over, but several changes occurred before the conclusion of the tournaments. There are more movements that fans can expect to happen, but let us take a look at the most significant.
- Invictus signed Jeong “NoFe” No-Chu as the head coach.
- Ultra Prime offers a position to Xiaocaobao.
- Cabochard comes back to play for Karmine Corp.
- Cloud9 promotes a member, K1ng, to LCS; they also put Zven to C9 Academy.
- Counter Logic Gaming takes in Prussian as their team analyst.
- Ap layer from Rogue Warriors, Ziv, retires.
- Thunder Talk Gaming takes a new member, Langx.
- Damonte leaves 100 Thieves.
The most recent and notable of all these is the movement of No Fe to Invictus. He is the new head coach of the team now. Prior to this movement, he served as the head coach for a team in South Korea and China. In 2021, he was a player, taking the role of a caster. Then, he finally shifted to the role of a head coach.
Dota 2 Roster Changes
The DPC Season 1 after 2021 is already in motion. Many teams from the Upper and Lower divisions are swapping. There are also new teams emerging, ready to take on the tenured ones. On top of that, several players decided to become free agents.
Here are the notable changes:
- TNC Predator released several members. These are Offlaner, Captain Febby, and KPII. The release happened as early as March of 2021.
- The All-Filipino Dota 2 Roster is final, and they booked with Boomy.
- TNC signs Bok.
- Carry left Boom eSports in March.
- Vice Esports signs a carry player, Palos.
- The line-up for Vice eSports was disbanded.
- Boomy and Bok leave Omega.
- Offlaner left Vikin.gg in February.
- Spider Pigz’ disbanded their line-up.
The free agents are preparing for the second season of the DPC. They hope to stand a chance for qualifying in the TI10 roster changes. Players expect the changes to happen after the Valve event, and they are likely to move to different teams in different leagues.
CS: GO Roster Changes
Those betting at GG bet must know that there are significant changes in this league. CSGO is notorious for unreliable line-ups. Even the best of players gets the chopping block.
One of the most controversial pieces of news happened when Flusha left Fnatic. Flusha is a Major MVP and also has the accolade as a 3-time Major winner in the same team. He parted ways with Fnatic before, only to return. This return marked a series of not-so-good results, and this made Flusha decide to leave for good.
Another significant roster change happened when team Vitality decided to bench RpK. While this is not exactly a roster change, it is still an internal roster change. RpK is a 31-year old veteran whose expertise relies on a rifle. His performance was consistent, and he proved many people wrong. At that time, nobody believed in him, and fans called him “washed.” Surprisingly, his team decided to bench him in April. The team cited that the decision comes after a series of uninspiring results.
Finally, a player called Fallen joins Team Liquid. Fallen had no team in 2020 when his previous team, Mibr, performed lackadaisically. It was in 2021 when Team Liquid decided to bring him in. Now, his role is that of an AWPer and IGL. Fallen is a double Major winner in the league, and Team Liquid is positive that he could bring something new to the table. They are hopeful that they will finish in the first place this year, not only in one game but in many other tournaments.
Summary
So, what is in store for eSports? For many years, roster changes were common in physical sports. However, they were a necessity, not a whim. In recent years, however, it made the movement seem easier. Just think about Lebron James. If this can happen to physical sports, just imagine how easy it is for online games.
Despite the roster changes, fans and bettors must understand that these teams know what they are doing. While many fans get upset, they do not see the big picture here. There may be a squabble in the group, or there is a fight for leadership.
Whatever it is, a team’s management knows best. The least we can do is reassess the team’s strength to decide who to root for once the games begin.
Problem solver. Incurable bacon specialist. Falls down a lot. Coffee maven. Communicator.
