Dardoch looking to compete overseas in 2022 in LEC or REL

Nicholas James Published 30/09/2021

Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett is North American League of Legends’ most controversial professional player, bouncing from team to team with a long record of short stints on LCS rosters with poor teamwork.

Most recently playing for Dignitas, Dardoch announced today that he had entered free agency and is considering offers from all regions.

Dardoch has been a part of seven different LCS organizations as a jungler, having been on Immortals and Team Liquid more than once. Most recently he’s been acting as an assistant coach for Immortals’ LCS roster. Dardoch’s run as a player for Dignitas was cut short after an unspecified incident during the 2021 Summer Split.

Where will Dardoch play in 2022?

Earlier reports indicated that Dardoch wasn’t taking his latest failed outing with a team as the end of anything. Should he look to play overseas in Europe as a part of the LEC or the REL system, he’d be one of the first from NA to do so. While there are memes aplenty about North American organizations’ propensity to bring in European talent, there’s not many examples of the reverse. Should Dardoch’s LEC aspirations come to fruition, it would be the first major example of a European team bringing in a North American player.

At the same time, European solo queue and professional play have a reputation for higher tolerance to the sort of competitive banter Dardoch is known for. It’s possible that Europe could prove exactly the sort of environment that could turn Dardoch into the star he was once expected to be. Dardoch’s potential as an all-star carry never materialized due to behind-the-scenes drama.

Fans of the controversial jungler have to hope a regional change is the cure for Dardoch’s woes. With so much drama in the past already, eighth and ninth chances will be harder and harder to find.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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