Former Cloud9 star Zeyzal joins 4 ex-LCS on new amateur team

William Davis Published 20/01/2021

Florida-based organization SolaFide Esports has signed a not-so-amateur roster to compete in the new North American amateur circuit.

Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, Winston “Winston” Herold, Jean-Sébastien “Tuesday” Thery, Apollo “Apollo” Price, and Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam are now competing on the amateur level under SolaFide’s banner. The team is currently competing in the Risen Champions League, a tier-two tournament for amateur organizations and collegiate teams. The team of former pros advanced to the semifinals where it will face Barrage Esports.

The players on SolaFide are not the only familiar names in this tournament. 100 Thieves Next, Cloud9 Amateur, and Evil Geniuses Prodigies took part in the group stage of the tournament.

The Risen Champions League is just the beginning of the new amateur scene in North America. Ahead of the 2021 season, the LCS changed the format of the LCS Academy to make room for the amateur teams in North America. Teams can compete in a series of tier two events where they will earn points. The best teams qualify to LCS Proving Grounds, an event where Academy and amateur teams compete.

The players on SolaFide might be the first to transition from the LCS into the amateur scene, but they probably won’t be the last. The introduction of the new amateur scene will encourage more teams to invest in these leagues. Salaries might not be as high as LCS salaries, but staying active is better for players than simply waiting for another shot the next season.

2021 will be a great year for the amateur scene in North America and is exactly what the region needs to start nurturing domestic talent. SolaFide plays in the Risen Championship League semifinals on January 23.

Who is competing in the LCS?

There are 10 professional teams currently competing in the LCS. Each team owns a franchise slot, partnering directly with League of Legends developer Riot Games. These franchise slots are permanent, so participating teams can never be demoted from the league. The 10 teams are as follows:

• 100 Thieves
• Cloud9
• Counter Logic Gaming
• Dignitas
• Evil Geniuses
• FlyQuest
• Golden Guardians
• Immortals
• Team SoloMid
• Team Liquid

When does the 2021 LCS start?

The 2021 LCS Spring split starts on Friday, February 5 at 3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET.

How many imports can LCS teams have?

Each LCS team can have two imports on stage at a time. Organizations can sign multiple imports for the team, but only two can play simultaneously. Starting in 2021, players coming from Oceania do not count towards import slots.

Read Also

Esports Betting

Hanwha Life Esports vs BLG: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026 grand final Hannan Mundia Hanwha Life Esports and BLG will get to have a rematch in the 2026 MSI grand final, but which team will walk away as the victor? The first match between HLE and BLG didn’t really go well for the LCK team. The stakes are much higher this time, and the looming question is whether things will be any different this time around. Tournament: MSI 2026 Stage: Lower bracket final Game: ...

Esports Betting

NA has a winning head-to-head against EU at MSI for the first time since 2018 Wasif Ahmed LYON just beat G2 Esports 3-0 at the LoL 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. Right off the high of beating the six-time World champion T1, the LEC representative quickly came back to Earth as NA cut their run short. Now, North America is ahead of Europe in the head-to-head for the first time since 2018. After G2’s victories against Top Esports and T1, the predictions were split. Part of the community rationally ...

Esports Betting

Hanwha Life Esports barely beats LYON 3-2 at LoL MSI 2026 Wasif Ahmed In a heartbreaking moment for North America, Hanwha Life Esports beat LYON in a close 3-2 in the MSI 2026 loser’s final. For South Korea, this means a rematch for HLE against Bilibili Gaming in the grand final, and a fourth slot at Worlds 2026. For North America, it’s yet another near-win against the East as they fall short for the third time in two years. The series between HLE ...

League of Legends

Hanwha Life Esports vs LYON: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026 Hannan Mundia The 2026 MSI lower bracket final will see Hanwha Life Esports take on LYON. Here’s our complete betting analysis and betting picks. After T1’s upset loss at the ongoing MSI tournament, G2 Esports was the next team to fall before reaching the lower bracket final. LYON looked extremely good against the LEC team, but does it have what it takes to take down arguably the strongest LCK team currently? Tournament: ...

League of Legends

G2 Esports proves that T1 has an over-reliance problem Hannan Mundia The MSI match between G2 Esports and T1 proved that the LCK powerhouse needs to take a good look at its strategy. For years now, the LCK has been a dominant force in the competitive League of Legends space. While the LCP has occasionally come close to the number one spot, that hasn’t been the case for long. In particular, T1 is easily the biggest name in the scene, especially ...

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Esports Betting

Team Secret Whales stun Top Esports as LCP finally breaks the East’s Bo5 wall Wasif Ahmed In the first massive upset of the tournament, Team Secret Whales beat Top Esports to kick them out of the lower bracket of MSI 2026. This is Asia-Pacific’s first ever Bo5 win against the East since the creation of the leagues in 2013. Now, only Bilibili Gaming is left for the LPL and the power rankings are all mixed up. TSW didn’t just beat TES, they completely outclassed them. Kicking ...