The best LEC and LCS free agents left on the market before 2021

Nicholas James Published 23/11/2020

About a week has passed since the start of League of Legends free agency and most of the rumored blockbuster signings and buyouts have been completed. But there are still quite a few free agents available that are either hammering out details with teams, shopping around for the best deal, or looking for an organization to take a chance on them.

Here are some of the best westerns free agents still available for LCS and LEC teams going into the 2021 season.

Licorice, Hauntzer up for grabs in LoL free agency

The biggest signings for the top lane role were done in the first few hours of the signing period and were also reported weeks before. Since then, the role has not had any surprising announcements or developments as the premier players are still unsigned.

I’ve made some great friends and met some amazing people during my time on GGS. A shame we couldn’t find the success we all wanted, but I still wish them the best going into the future. https://t.co/MtAIop175m
— Kevin (@htzr) November 17, 2020

Former Cloud9 top laner Eric “Licorice” Ritchie is still available to teams and is seemingly still hammering out the details of his buyout and contract with FlyQuest or Golden Guardians. Speaking of Golden Guardians, the team’s former top laner Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell missed the boat his teammates took to 100 Thieves and is still in search of an organization to represent.

On the lower end of the talent pool, former Dignitas and FlyQuest top laner Omran “V1per” Shoura is currently teamless and could be an interesting project player for an Academy team. Also available is Andrei “Orome” Popa, fresh off of a World’s appearance with MAD Lions. News of his exit leaked shortly after the team’s exit from the tournament.

Mowgli is LEC’s top jungler free agent, Xmithie free in LCS

The Jungler free agent pool is a little thin this year. Most teams have a player locked into the position for the upcoming season, or are close to finalizing a deal.

There are currently two notable players in the North American market available, being Juan Arturo “Contractz” Garcia and Jake “Xmithie” Puchero. Contractz raised his value after subbing in for 100 Thieves towards the end of the season and Xmithie may be contemplating retirement at this point in his career.

As for the European market, the only proven player who has been released, and is not considering a career change is Lee “Mowgli” Jae-ha. The former Vitality jungler has had appearances in the LEC and on the organization’s Academy roster, but has not broken into the league as a consistent starter.

MagiFelix could break out in LEC 2021, Goldenglue up for grabs

Mid lane has the deepest pool of players left available, with journeymen players and prominent talents alike still on the market. The best available is probably Fabian “FEBIVEN” Diepstraten. The former Misfits mid laner was released and, according to him, may not be playing on an LCS or LEC roster at all next season.

Also available from the LEC is former Excel player Joran “Special” Scheffer and Fnatic prospect Felix “MagiFelix” Boström. Both players are young and would be an interesting option for Academy teams or teams that want to take a chance on some young talent in the role.

As for players from North America, journeymen players Greyson “Goldenglue” Gilmer and Kim “Fenix” Jae-hun are available for teams that need to fill a spot for the role.

100Thieves and I have decided to part ways.
Effective immediately, I will be a Free Agent heading into the 2021 season.

I am very grateful for the opportunities given to me by 100T, as well as very excited for what’s to come.

For 2021, I wish to reach the top.
— Cody Sun (@CodySun) November 10, 2020

Cody Sun, Bang are LCS’s top available bot laners

The AD Carry pool of free agents is also pretty decent as many team in boths the LEC and LCS are shaking things up in the bot lane. The most prominent player left unsigned is Elias “Upset” Lipp who is currently linked with Fnatic. Other available LEC ADCs include Juš “Crownshot” Marušič and Konstantinos-Napoleon “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou, although it currently looks like neither will be able to find a team to represent as Crownshot has said he has not found a team and FORG1VEN has not been heard from since his dramatic exit from the Schalke 04 starting lineup.

As for LCS prospects, domestic players Liyu “Cody Sun” Sun and Johnson “Johnsun” Nguyen are available and attached to a few different teams as of right now. Rounding things out is former World Champion Bae “Bang” Jun-sik, who was dropped from Evil Geniuses.

EG and I have parted ways. I’m now a free agent and I’ll be looking for a team for 2021. Playing for @EvilGeniuses was a wonderful experience, and I appreciate the opportunity I had to play for their organization.

Currently open for all offers.
— Zeyzal (@Zeyzal) November 18, 2020

Zeyzal, Vander looking for team for 2021 LoL season

Lastly, there are a few tenured players that are still available for the support role. In the LEC, ex-Misfit Mads “Doss” Schwartz, Han “Dreams” Min-kook of Schalke 04, and Oskar “Vander” Bogdan of Rogue are currently free agents. Dreams and Vander are probably the more intriguing options from that group. Vander is also currently linked with Misfits and may look to join as a player or a coach.

In the LCS, former Evil Genius support Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam is coming off of a decent 2020 season and could be a solid option for teams. Then there is LCS stalwart Nickolas “Hakuho” Surgent who is currently teamless and would be an interesting pickup for an Academy slot or a captain position on a younger team.

Free agency may have started strong with announcements coming left and right but a week in, the hype seems to have died down. Teams without a big budget, or the status to sign the best available at the start are looking for these diamonds in the rough or role players that could bring them to the top of their league.

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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