Immortals have officially finalized their starting line-up for 2022 and, well, it’s not what anyone had expected. Fortunately, it’s a wholly positive surprise, and that’s not something we often get to say when it comes to mid-tier gatekeepers and bottom-tier dwellers. It’s no secret that Immortals have hovered somewhere between these two categories for a while now, but that could very well change in a few months’ time.

Their two seventh place finishes in 2021 obviously left a lot to be desired, but at least they had shown glimpses of potential. And, well, we really do mean “glimpses” — short and fleeting in nature. No matter what they tried, success seemed out of reach. In that sense, they were the quintessential gatekeeper, a team that was a bit better than you’d expect but nowhere near good enough to compete on even footing with the LCS pantheon.

Given the way things had developed, most of us thought Immortals would cut corners and field an ever worse line-up in 2022, but that couldn’t be further from the truth — and we’re elated for that being the case! Instead of “penny-pinching,” Immortals have opted to go the opposite direction: they’ve doubled down on their strengths and have signed some truly capable players so as to stand the best possible chance of leaving a mark.

This is still a mid-tier roster, mind you, but it’s a lot more well-rounded and dangerous than the one we’ve seen a few months back. Will this bolstered Immortals line-up deliver once 2022 comes around? That’s impossible to predict at this point in time, but there’s definitely a reason for optimism!

Three players from this year’s roster will still compete under Immortals’ banner and, well, that’s good as all three did a stellar job throughout the year.

Joining them are PowerOfEvil and WildTurtle, two seasoned veterans and players who are beloved across the globe. And, better yet, they’re still in their prime, despite what you might read on Reddit or Twitter.

PoE is a stellar mid laner whose only true flaw is in the champion pool department. Now, in all fairness, he’s not extremely limited in that regard, but he’s not going to blow anyone’s mind away with a secret pocket pick or pull a last-minute switcheroo. And, even worse, he tends to revert to his tried-and-true comfort picks a bit too often which makes drafting against him a breeze — everything is telegraphed ten moves in advance which, in a game that is often decided in the pick and ban phase, is a pretty big problem. Fortunately, his incredible play and overall consistency are enough to offset these issues.

Well, at least more often than not.

By the same token, people have seemingly forgotten just how phenomenal WildTurtle had looked throughout 2020. His stint with FlyQuest was absolutely amazing and had resulted in two second-place finishes and a respectable (albeit ultimately unsuccessful) showing at Worlds. He’s not exactly a Top 3 marksman, but give him enough agency and room to maneuver and he’ll make the game-winning play. Both PoE and WildTurtle are stellar in the mid and later stages of the game which, coincidentally, meshes quite nicely with Immortals’ playstyle.

That’s a pretty thankless question as there’s no way one can answer it with absolute certainty — especially not seeing how the LCS is often the home of the most mind-boggling twists and upsets imaginable. Be that as it may, we do have a big enough sample size at our disposal, so we might as well have a go at it.

Based on the current LCS landscape, this Immortals line-up could definitely challenge for a spot in the playoffs. They’re arguably a bit better than the Golden Guardians (on paper, at least), and they’re also more seasoned than FlyQuest. Dignitas QNTMPAY probably won’t pose much of a risk, and there’s really no use in talking about Counter Logic Gaming; if the standings pan out this way, Immortals would be positioned as the sixth-best team in North America — barring any unexpected twists which, in all fairness, tend to happen fairly frequently.