The 2020 LCS Summer Split will commence this Friday, June 12th @6:00pm PT starting with the rematches of the 3rd place match from Spring (100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses), and the Spring Split finals (Flyquest and Cloud9). With another exciting Split about to commence in the LCS, there are a few notable roster moves that will surely shake up the league.
Evil Geniuses Huni
With the Huni pickup, Evil Geniuses has the potential for a real powerhouse team. However, there is one important note for this roster. With the addition of Huni, Evil Geniuses currently starts one too many imports than allowed by the league. This means that they will be having a 6+ man roster. It will be very interesting to see what happens with this team as the mix of personalities of these imports can easily be disruptive as all three of them are known for their headstrong and proud personalities.
Dignitas V1per
This is a quality decision from Dignitas' management to get rid of the hole in the wallet that was Huni's insane two year 2.3 million dollar contract and replacing him with a cheaper, and arguably better alternative for the squad as a whole to make that push for a playoff position this split.
Dignitas Dardoch
Admittedly, I was surprised at this move seeing there was so much drama related to Dardoch's position in the LCS and the lack of leverage he had to get a quality salary for his position on a team. However, it does make sense that Dignitas would be the team to pick him up. Overall, it's a quality move that with the help of the likes of Aphromoo and Froggen, will be enough to keep Dardoch in check and also provide him with enough resources to excel and prove himself.
TSM Doublelift
The biggest and earliest change of the mid-season in the LCS is without-a-doubt, Doublelift's return to TSM after an extremely disappointing split with TL. The move also created huge backlash for the TSM organization due to his relationship with the Organization's President Leena, rightfully so. Admittedly as a TSM fan for the past eight years, this is definitely a concern for the stability of the organization and lays incredible precedence for the future of the league. In terms of gameplay, I (along with many others) think this will be a strong rebound split for Doublelift and bring back the old TSM that fans miss so dearly as they have 3/5ths of their roster from their previous dynasty.
Riot Jatt, now TL Jatt
Finally, what I personally think is the most controversial decision of the mid-season is Jatt, former Caster and Analyst for the broadcast team, joining Team Liquid as their new Head Coach. Yes, I understand that he previously was a professional player, and personally, he is my favourite analyst and in my opinion the most talented, but I don't think he has what it takes to be a head coach for a team with players with such prowess as the Team Liquid roster. The game, and entire scene has changed drastically since he was last in that environment on a team, and he will need to settle in quick if he wants to take control of these players. I just don't see a world where Jatt can honestly say that any of these players are wrong if they disagree with him about draft or analysis. I think he can be a valuable asset to the team in terms of his ability to mediate in any conversations between the players, which, some may say is the sole purpose of the head coach, but that's not what it should be. Additionally, I can't help but think the kind of whim that Steve went out on to make this call when he just lost Doublelift AND while knowing that after this split he will have all of his other player's contracts expiring except Tactical and CoreJJ. If this team doesn't do well, and by well I mean make worlds, never mind playoffs, then I strongly believe this is the end of Team Liquid as we know it. Overall, high risk, low reward with this staffing change. It's harsh to say, and I mean no disrespect to Jatt and what he can offer the team, but he has a big hill to climb with little time to do it.
Really in depth, always looking for new esports content, keep it up