If you’re a fan of competitive League and are an LCS regular, the last couple of days must’ve felt like your birthday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve all rolled up into one. The off-season has officially begun, and teams wasted no time in announcing their updated rosters. Some of these signings came as huge surprises. Others, however, were rumored and leaked all over the web. This off-season has definitely been a rollercoaster, and we’ve only just begun! So let’s take a closer look at the latest LCS roster changes ahead of 2020 and how they might affect the players and organizations going forward!

LCS Roster Changes 2020: Official Changes

[LCS][Team SoloMid] Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen > [Cloud9]

Team SoloMid’s veteran AD carry has decided to part ways with his first North American team and sign for their perennial adversary — Cloud9. Read more about the story by clicking here.

[LCS][OpTic] William “Meteos” Hartman > [100 Thieves]

Well, this is an unexpected twist. To say the least. After helping 100 Thieves reach immense heights back in 2018, and subsequently getting removed from the team, Meteos will once again don a 100T jersey. Now, while this is definitely a strange development overall, it is by no means a negative one. On the contrary. Even though he’s been playing the game for many years, Meteos is still as impactful and capable as ever. In fact, 2019 has already given us a glimpse at just how well he can play when given the right resources.

Meteos, while not an “exotic” signing by any means is still a fantastic choice all things considered. He might not be graced with the flash and mechanical prowess like some of his contemporaries, but he’s still an absolute beast and brings a metric ton of experience and shotcalling to the team.

100 Thieves needed a fresh start. They needed a new coach. And they also need an experienced veteran to lead to charge on the Summoner’s Rift as well. Who’s better for such a task than Meteos? We still don’t know the full 100 Thieves line-up, but they’re certainly making intelligent moves at the moment.

Will this push 100 Thieves into contender status? We’ll have to tune in to find out, but the odds are definitely on their side.

[LCS][Echo Fox] Kim “SSONG” Sang-soo > [Counter Logic Gaming]

With head coach Heo “Irean” Yeong-cheol no longer under their banner, Counter Logic Gaming had to find a suitable replacement and they had to do it fast, seeing how they’re not the only North American organization looking for an experienced veteran to lead their team. Fortunately, amidst the chaos of 2020 LCS roster changes, they managed to sign yet another respected coach in the nick of time: SSONG.

Now, SSONG is definitely a solid, well-established and highly respected coach; an individual who led the who’s who of the North American LCS. Immortals in 2017, Team SoloMid in 2018, Echo Fox in 2019 and now Counter Logic Gaming in 2020. He’s a solid asset and a seasoned veteran. That said, his career was defined by huge ups and downs, and his stock value plummeted considerably ever since he signed for Echo Fox.

Now, the team’s failure isn’t exactly his fault per se, but quite a lot of time has passed since SSONG found any noticeable amount of success. He definitely has a solid line-up with Counter Logic Gaming and should, by all means, be capable of reaching the playoffs with the line-up he has at his disposal.

[LEC][Schalke 04] Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun > [FlyQuest]

The former Misfits Gaming, bbq Olivers and Schalke 04 support IgNar has signed a deal to start for the North American organization FlyQuest come 2020 Spring Split. Overall, this is a spectacular signing for FlyQuest regardless of the way you slice it. IgNar is still a top-tier support that’s both mechanically gifted and also fairly impactful in all stages of the game.

He’s also shockingly aggressive, a trait that will no doubt synergize perfectly with Jason “WildTurtle” Tran and the rest of FlyQuest. They’re one of the most aggressive teams North America has to offer, and they absolutely love to skirmish from the very get-go. In fact, their stellar team fighting is one of the main reasons why they found so much success back in 2018. A good, successful FlyQuest is an aggressive “in-your-face” FlyQuest, and with IgNar within their ranks, they’re bound to once again compete at the highest of levels.

It’s still too early to proclaim that they’re a lock in for the playoffs, but if they play to their strengths and get back to their 2018 playstyle, they’ll surely become a force to be reckoned with.

[LCS][Cloud9] Greyson “Goldenglue” Gilmer > [Golden Guardians]

Goldenglue’s story has been very fascinating over the years. Always within close proximity of the LCS, and yet always on the outside looking in. And it doesn’t seem like a matter of skill either as he’s touted as an absolute beast in scrims. But when he does go on stage, his play lacks impetus, he’s passive, reactive, and quite frankly unimpactful, regardless of the team comp and lane matchup. He’s good, but nothing more. Serviceable. Hardly how you want to be described if you’re a competitor. Because of this, he spent the majority of his career playing in Academy. Hardly anything worth writing home about.

2020, however, will finally give Grayson a chance to show his worth as the Golden Guardians decided to buy out his contract from Cloud9 and make him their starter. Now, he certainly has big shoes to fill as he’s replacing Henrik “Froggen” Hansen, one of the best European mid laners in history. Not a small void, by any means. Will Goldenglue rise to the occasion? Will he finally be able to translate his performance from scrims to stage? Only time will tell, but it’ll be exciting to see him play come Spring Split. He’s been working towards this point for many years, and it’s nice to see him finally realize his dream.

In return, the Guardians will send Christian “Palafox” Palafox over to Cloud9 who will, presumably, be their starting Academy mid laner.

[LCS][Immortals] Jake “Xmithie” Puchero > [Immortals]

The best and most successful North American jungler of all time will be making a return to Immortals come 2020. Don’t be fooled by the fact that Liquid opted to replace him with Broxah as Xmithie is still as capable and impactful as they come. He brings a metric ton to any team he’s apart of and is definitely an invaluable asset.

There’s still a lot that we don’t know when it comes to Immortals and their starting Spring Split line-up. We know that Thomas “Zaboutine” Si-Hassen is still their head coach and that they’re looking to compete with a roster comprised of both young and veteran talent. How that’ll turn out still remains to be seen, but with Xmithie on board, their chances of attaining success have improved considerably.

Thanks for joining us for a closer look at the LCS roster changes for 2020! To stay up to date on all of the off-season roster moves, be sure to take a look at our roster tracker!