Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians are Exiting LCS
After a devastating turn of events for all LCS fans, Riot has announced they will be downsizing the LCS from 10 to 8 teams.
Both Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians, stalwarts within the LCS, announced their exit from the league. Marking the end of an era that saw these organizations leave an indelible mark on the competitive landscape. Their decision to depart from the LCS has left fans and players wondering about what the future holds for them.
Golden Guardians Depart
Golden Guardians official posted this tweet at 1:10 PM, Nov 20, 2023.
Golden Guardians official stated that the Golden Guardians had an amazing five years in the LCS. But because Riot Games is changing the league from 10 teams to 8 they have decided to leave League of Legends. However there is a lot of speculation that the Golden Guardians were looking for a way out of LCS regardless.
In an interview with Riot Games, Riot stated that they gave the 'option' to the Golden Guardians to leave. The Golden State Warriors, who own GG, decided they would rather "focus on basketball."
Riot stated in this interview that they had given the offer to all LCS teams to leave, and EG and GG were the only 2 to accept.
Licorice from Golden Guardians, unaware of the news and left without a team, expressed the following:
Licorice took the LCS by surprise this 2023 year with a stellar performance that took GG to their first international debut at MSI.
Credit: Riot GamesLicorice had anticipated playing for GG in 2024. However, given the circumstances, it appears unlikely he'll start in the LCS next year. Teams have already filled their top laner slots, casting uncertainty over Licorice's future in his LoL pro journey, abruptly truncated.
Evil Geniuses Depart
With the news still fresh, Evil Geniuses official had this to say:
LCS fans have had a very negative view of EG due to the EG/Danny controversy. Most LCS fans had long expected EG to depart.
However not all EG players left without a team received such disheartening news.
Credit: Riot GamesJojopyun reportedly received an offer for a starting position at an LCK team, Liiv Sandbox, potentially becoming the first NA import in LCK history. However Cloud9 has made a strong effort to retain Jojopyun in their roster.
The LCS spring season is set with only 8 teams, leaving uncertainty about a potential return to a 10-team roster. The confirmed teams for 2024 are:
- Cloud9
- FlyQuest
- Immortals
- NRG
- Dignitas
- 100 Thieves
- Team Liquid
- Shopify Rebellion - Newest team
The schedule and layout for the spring season haven't been released yet, remaining unknown. This move by Riot to reduce the total number of teams was first leaked by former caster/coach Veteran.