The Newcomers of the NA LCS

With so many new faces in the North American League of Legends Championship Series, it’s easy to forget that not all of them have transferred in from other regions. Some players are making their debut here this split, so let’s take a look at the “Rookies of the NA LCS”.

Eric “Licorice” Ritchie

The new top laner for Cloud9, Licorice certainly has some big shoes to fill. Having started his career in the Challenger scene, Licorice was a part of the very successful eUnited squad, a team that nearly qualified for the LCS a couple of times. An aggressive top laner, Licorice has shown that he is equally comfortable playing carry orientated top lane champions as he is playing tanks, and although he may not have had the most luck, he is willing to try new things in order to get his team ahead.

Andy “AnDa” Hoang

Another rookie who got his start in the Challenger scene, AnDA has shown an ability to play jungle champions that are capable of carrying his team, and jungle champions that are more utility orientated. AnDa is related to a former LCS Champion An “Balls” Van Le, though we are unlikely to see the two of them playing together anytime in the near future. Now that the roster for Flyquest is complete, AnDa will have to work on building the synergy with their new mid laner, in order to help his team progress towards the playoffs.

Matthew “Deftly” Chen

Our final starting rookie, Deftly was also on the eUnited team that did quite well in the Challenger scene. While he may have found success back then, it is proving more difficult to do so now, with the Golden Guardians only finding their second win of the Spring Split at the tail end of week five. Though his team may not have had the most success, Deftly has proven than he is not unskilled, putting up fairly reasonable scores even when losing the game. With the second half of the Spring Split coming around, Deftly and his team will need to step it up a notch if they want to possibly qualify for playoffs.

While not every player new to the NA LCS is a rookie, these are the players that feel that they have what it takes to compete with the veterans. Something of a mixed bag in terms of success, nevertheless, these are the new players looking to make their mark and stand out from the crowd.

For more coverage of the NA LCS check out our recaps from week five, day one and day two, and for more on when the teams are playing next, check out the official NA LCS schedule page here.