Damonte doesn’t receive LCS offers, to focus on making content

100 Thieves and Tanner “Damonte” Damonte have mutually decided to part ways ahead of the 2021 LCS Summer Split, leaving the young mid laner without a team. 

This was recently announced by 100 Thieves and followed up with a video from Damonte himself. In this video, the 23-year-old mid laner explains how he hasn’t received any LCS offer for the coming split. Damonte also explains how he won’t pursue any academy offers, leaving him completely without a team for the next split. Instead, he will take time off to focus on content creation and expects to return to the professional stage at a later date. 

“I was unable to find an LCS team and I’ve made the choice to not pursue any Academy offers,” Damonte said. “For the next six months, this summer split, I will be focusing a lot on content creation and just stepping outside of my normal routine.”   

Damonte leaves 100 Thieves after just one split with mixed results. Damonte was picked up as the starting mid laner for 100 Thieves in 2021 but was subbed out during the split for Tommy “ry0ma” Le. The swap happened after a solid performance by Damonte at the 2021 LCS Lock In, followed up by a good start to the split. This left fans wondering why he was suddenly moved to the academy roster. 

In the academy team, Damonte didn’t find the level of play that people would have expected. This saw 100 Thieves Academy lose to No Org in the LCS Proving Grounds semifinal, just one step away from the grand final. 

After a turbulent spring split, 100 Thieves is going in a new direction for summer. The organization recently signed former Schalke 04 mid laner Felix “Abbedagge” Braun, with the ambition of finally reaching the top of the LCS again and qualifying for Worlds. This leaves Damonte without a starting spot yet again and seemingly a lack of motivation to continue in the academy league for now.  

Fans can expect Damonte to stream on Twitch regularly during the next months as he grinds his way back into form. Maybe Damonte will attempt another climb through the professional scene in 2022 to bring back Tanner Time.