The LCS has set a new record for number of imported players

William Davis Published 05/01/2021

In the 2020 offseason, the LCS broke the record for the most imports added to the region in one split. While it might look like the LCS is falling back into its old patterns, these signings will almost certainly increase the level of competition in the region.

After disastrous results in the 2020 World Championship, fans wanted for a change in the LCS, and a massive change was what they received. Not only is the format for the competition changing in 2021, but every team in the LCS went through a roster change.

The changes came after the LCS announced that players coming from Oceania wouldn’t take import slots. As a result, the organizations scouted the region the get the best players available to reinforce their ranks.  Quin “Raes” Korebrits and Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw are reuniting under the Immortals banner. Immortals also signed former Astralis jungler Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomi and head coach André “Guilhoto” Pereira Guilhoto. Immortals only has two North American players, but it’s not the only organization looking predominantly international.

Evil Geniuses is the organization with the most international members:

• Top lane, Jeong “Impact” Eon-young (South Korea)
• Jungle, Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen (Denmark)
• Mid lane, Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro (Italy)
• Support, Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun (South Korea)
• Head coach, Peter Dun (United Kingdom)

Impact and Svenskeren are considered residents at this point, so teams can add two imports to the roster even with the pair already on board.

Cloud9 and Team Liquid signed just one new import each, but these are high-profile names. Former G2 Esports Luka “Perkz” Perković became one of the most discussed players in the offseason when he announced his departure from G2. To everyone’s surprise, Perkz chose to travel across the Atlantic to join C9.

Team Liquid parted ways with Impact and replaced him with European star Barney “Alphari” Morris. Alphari is considered one of the best players in the LEC and is joining Team Liquid as the organization fights for a fifth LCS title.

Team SoloMid broke every record in the offseason when it signed a six million dollar contract for Worlds finalist Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh. SwordArt is the first LMS player to play in North America and he’s doing it as one of the highest-paid players in the region.

Dignitas is the only team competing in the LCS with an full North American roster.

Josedeodo leads Latin America into the LCS

Europe, China, and Oceania are not the only regions providing imports for North America. For the first time, two Latin American players from the LLA are traveling up north to start in the LCS. FlyQuest signed one of the most outstanding players from Worlds’ play-ins, jungler Brandon “Josedeodo” Villegas. Golden Guardians went for support Leandro “Newbie” Marcos to complete its roster. The signing of Josedeodo and Newbie is just an indication of Latin America’s growth as a region that now produces talent worthy of exporting.

Fans were hoping to see more North American talent on stage, but it will be a couple of splits before resident players reclaim the spots. Right now, the region is investing on the amateur circuit, hoping to create a talent pipeline of North American players. In the meantime, the stakes are higher than ever. The LCS starts on January 15 with the LCS Lock In a three-week tournament that kicks off the season.

Who is competing in the LCS?

There are 10 professional teams currently competing in the LCS. Each team owns a franchise slot, and partners 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

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 (Australia and New Zealand) do not count towards import slots.

Do you have to be challenger to play in the LCS?

The LCS doesn’t require its players to be ranked Challenger. However, players that aspire to compete professionally must be ranked Challenger in order to be considered for the LCS Scouting Grounds.

Read Also

Esports Betting

BLG vs T1: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026 Hannan Mundia BLG and T1 are among the favorites to win the 2026 MSI tournament, which is why so many fans are anticipating their match in the bracket stage’s first round. After BLG’s performance at last year’s World Championship, those who haven’t kept up with the team’s performance may not expect much from it. However, with the LPL team’s revamped roster and strategic approach to League of Legends, there’s a good chance ...

Esports Betting

League of Legends Classic will be back in 2026, here’s what we know Wasif Ahmed Riot has announced that League Classic will come out in Season 3 of 2026, as a game mode. League Classic is “old League of Legends”, the ability to play the game on a specific patch from over a decade ago. How much information do we have? What is League Classic, when will League Classic release, and what patch will it be for? Ever wanted to rediscover the old version of ...

League of Legends

Karmine Corp vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026 Hannan Mundia While both Karmine Corp and Team Liquid lost one series each, both teams will have another chance to continue in the 2026 MSI play-in stage to potentially qualify for the bracket stage. Both participating teams got swept by T1 in this MSI stage, bringing them to the third round. Team Liquid’s performance against Deep Cross Gaming was impressive, but does that really mean that it has what it takes to ...

Esports Betting

T1 exposes Karmine Corp with 3-0 win at League of Legends MSI 2026 Wasif Ahmed T1 just beat Karmine Corp 3-0 in the play-in stage of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. More importantly, T1 turned KC’s strengths into weaknesses. The bot lane and teamfight prowess that shone in the LEC were no match this time. The match started with Karmine Corp picking a disrespectful draft, blind picking three immobile squishies. Right off the bat, a botched invade put their jungle and bot lane at a disadvantage. ...

Esports Betting

The top 12 best players at MSI 2026 Wasif Ahmed The 2026 Mid-Season Invitational is mere days away, and it will see the best players in the world face off. The reward is a prize pool of $2,000,000 and extra slots at the upcoming World Championship. So, who are the top 12 best players at MSI 2026? As the most decorated player in recent NA history, Inspired is LYON’s star player. In one word, this jungler is smart. Inspired’s signature ...

League of Legends

KeSPA Cup returns in July 2026 exclusively on Disney+ Hannan Mundia The KeSPA Cup is slated to return sooner than most expected, though its date and exclusive Disney+ partnership raises some questions. The KeSPA Cup is an annual tournament organized directly by the Korea e-Sports Association. While it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Riot-organized leagues and events, LCK powerhouses still participate in it. 2025’s KeSPA Cup is still fairly fresh since it took place in December. This year’s tournament ...

Esports Betting

Best betting odds and picks for T1 vs Karmine Corp at MSI 2026 Hannan Mundia This year’s MSI is still ongoing, and the next match in the play-in stage is slated to pit T1 against the LEC’s Karmine Corp. Both participating teams absolutely destroyed their respective opponents in this stage’s first round. With two 3-0 scores, both Karmine Corp and T1 have established themselves as powerhouses. However, the level of opposition was clearly different, and that fact may show its face in this match. Tournament: ...