Team Liquid to sign Santorin as new LCS jungler for 2021

Former FlyQuest jungler Lucas “Santorin” Larsen has reached a verbal agreement to join Team Liquid, Travis Gafford has reported on Twitter.

Santorin looks to have found a new home. After a successful year with FlyQuest, the jungler is looking ready for the next chapter and the destination will apparently be Team Liquid. The organization verbally agreed to a one-year contract with Santorin to be signed on November 16 when free agency opens. This is the second time Team Liquid commits to a relatively short-term contract with a jungler, the first being Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen, who’s being shown the door after less than a year with the team.

With the addition of Santorin, Team Liquid completes its roster for the 2021. It will also include former Origen top laner Barney “Alphari” Morris, in addition to returning members Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, Edward “Tactical” Ra, and Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in.

Is Santorin the free agency upgrade that Team Liquid needed?

Every offseason, Team Liquid goes out to the free agency market with a pocket full of cash, looking for an upgrade. This offseason, the team is adding two new pieces in hopes of going back to its former glory. On paper, the roster looks solid enough, but in reality, it might take some effort for it to fully click.

The key for this roster will be the game plan and the way Liquid wants to play the game. Santorin is not exactly a carry jungler, as he’s more of an enabler that tends to work closely with the mid laner and support to get things done. That condition puts Jensen on the spot, and now it’s the mid laner who must show up for the team.

In previous years, counting on Jensen to carry the team wouldn’t be an issue, but his recent performances show a potential decline in his condition. Other mid laners in the LCS are at times playing better than Jensen, and that is a situation that Team Liquid should acknowledge. It’s not that Jensen is washed, it’s just that the competition is getting tougher, and being good is just not good enough anymore.