Riot introduces LCS on-air team including Hai, Allorim, more

The 2021 LCS season will be kicked off with a newly updated on-air team including some new and familiar faces. 

Riot recently introduced the complete on-air team for the LCS only a few days before the first-ever Lock In tournament kicks off. The team includes familiar faces from the 2020 season, as well as new additions such as Emily Rand, Barento “Razleplasm” Mohammed, and former professional players Hai “Hai” Lam and Kieran “Allorim” Logue. Furthermore, Derrick “PRIMAL” Asiedu, Kien Lam, and Team Liquid head coach Jake “Spawn” Tiberi will also make appearances on the broadcast. 

Who will join the 2021 LCS on-air team?

It’s still unknown which roles all talent will have, except for the familiar faces from previous seasons. It’s expected that Razleplasm will be a new color caster after his previous experience on the English LPL broadcast, while Emily Rand will be a regular part of the analyst desk. Emily Rand has formerly been working as an esports journalist at ESPN and should be a nice addition to the analyst desk. 

The on-air talent was presented shortly after the LCS revealed its new rebrands for the 2021 season. The rebrand includes a new and simplified logo. The rebrand will likely also affect the broadcast through new graphics and possibly new content as well. 

If new on-air talent and a rebrand weren’t enough, the LCS will also be playing the 2021 season in its new format. The format was already presented last year and will make the season connected as a whole. Fans and players are used to a season divided into two splits, but the 2021 format will attempt to make every game count. Before the season starts, all LCS teams will also be warming up in the Lock In tournament, competing for $150,000. 

The LCS broadcast goes live for the first time in 2021 on January 15. 

Which teams play in the LCS?

10 teams in total are playing in the LCS. All teams own their spot in the league after the LCS became a franchised league for 2019. No team has chosen to sell its spot for the 2021 season, but there have been plenty of roster changes and even some franchise rebrandings. 

The LCS teams for 2021 are: 

• Team SoloMid
• Team Liquid
• Cloud9
• 100 Thieves
• FlyQuest
• Golden Guardians
• Immortals
• CLG
• Evil Geniuses
• Dignitas 

When does the LCS 2021 season start?

The first game in the 2021 LCS season starts on January 15 when the Lock In tournament kicks off. This tournament will last for two weeks before the official spring split begins on February 5.