Dignitas starts with Akaadian over Dardoch for LCS Week 1 matches

Olivia Richman Published 11/06/2020

Joshua “Dardoch” Harnett is having a rough start to the Summer Split.

Dignitas took to Twitter to reveal their starting roster for the opening week of the 2020 LCS Summer Split. Dardoch wasn’t in the accompanying picture, replaced instead by jungler Matthew “Akaadian” Higginbotham. The starting roster also included Omran “V1per” Shoura in the top lane, with mid laner Henrik “Froggen” Hansen, ADC Johnson “Jonhsun” Nguyen, and Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black playing support.

In a recent interview with WIN.gg, V1per praised Dignitas’ decision for a 10-man roster, explaining that it gave the team a chance to pick the strongest combination of players each week. Of course, Dardoch is probably not feeling as fond of the decision after he was relegated to Dignitas Academy.

The dust has settled and our #LCS Week 1 Roster is locked in. pic.twitter.com/c1snUNG81G
— Dignitas (@dignitas) June 11, 2020

Dardoch’s LCS Summer Split drama continues

Dignitas signed Dardoch after a very controversial departure from TSM.

“Nobody wants to pick up Dardoch. That’s not my fault,” TSM president Aleena “Leena” Xu was be heard saying during one of Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng’s streams.

This sensitive information being broadcast live on Twitch brought up a lot of debate over a potential conflict of interest and issues with the LCS’ competitive integrity, since this private discussion painted Dardoch in a negative light. It also brought about discussion specifically around Doublelift having been traded to TSM, where his girlfriend, Leena, holds significant power as an official in the TSM organization.

The TSM conflict of interest AKA #TSMNoisegate, a summary: pic.twitter.com/sb9s0slJGa
— MonteCristo (@MonteCristo) May 12, 2020

Despite the troubling statement, Dardoch was still signed to Dignitas ahead of the Summer Split. Most fans assumed that Dardoch would be taking a spot on the starting roster, but it seems that the team’s week-long tryout period determined that Akaadian was actually the better fit. At least, for the time being.

Dardoch hasn’t had an easy time of it throughout his recent League of Legends career. He’s been on five different teams over the last three years. His play initially looked promising in the Spring Split, but TSM didn’t live up to expectations. Dardoch’s reputation as a difficult teammates, whether deserved or not, seems to have followed him no matter his efforts to better his behavior and the potential he does sometimes show in-game.

The LCS Summer Split will start Friday, June 12. It’s unclear when Dardoch will make his Summer Split debut.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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