While the NFL is nearing its postseason climax in the Super Bowl, the 9th season of League of Legends has kicked off as most of its major leagues began play which would culminate with the hoisting of the Summoner’s Cup in nearly 9 months’ time. No one truly knows what this season will have in store for the League community, but one thing’s for certain: excitement will be at a maximum for every game played.
As is always the case in the lead-up to a new season, roster reshuffling is made for teams looking to build upon the events of last year, regardless of the circumstances each side went through. With that said, news circulated around the free agent market as big names signed for new teams which obviously brought great attention to the affected parties. North America saw Worlds semi-finalist Cloud9’s Jensen switch allegiances to Team Liquid whereas 2-time World Champion Bang went to 100 Thieves. In Europe, Worlds runners-up Fnatic saw their ace mid-laner Caps sign for G2 Esports. And in Korea, SK Telecom T1 brought in Khan, Clid, Mata, Teddy, Crazy and Haru to form a super team that leads many to believe they have returned as the most feared team in not just the region, but the world.
All these moves and then some, while beneficial on paper, will cause teams to readjust to suit their acquired competitors. Additionally, this phase of players fitting in with their new teams will start out as an obstacle since they’re going to have to test their might in front of more cohesive opponents right off the bat in their domestic leagues. This may lead to a number of defeats for such teams at the outset of their journeys. As such, it will take some time for their potential to bear fruit and act as a synchronized unit that many expect them to be. But whether they do it or not remains to be seen as they’re given their initial set of trials in the first week of the season. Here are some notable events from this past weekend.
