Wildcard Red is the first team to qualify for LCS Proving Grounds

Challengers Uprising Season 3 has come to an end, with Wildcard Red running away with the win and a direct ticket to the upcoming LCS Proving Grounds main event. 

After some intense weeks between the best amateur teams in the North American League of Legends scene, a winner has been crowned at the first tier 2 event to qualify for the upcoming LCS Proving Grounds. As one of the pre-tournament favorites, Wildcard Red ended up performing as expected and even more so by beating Zoos Gaming in the grand final. 

With this win, Wildcard Red can lean back and get ready for the LCS Proving Grounds that will take place by the end of the summer. As the first team qualified for the tournament, there will be plenty of room for the players to prepare and keep a close eye on all the competition. The toughest competition will likely be from the Academy league, where all 10 Academy teams are currently competing. 

Prior to Challengers Uprising Season 3, it was in question if the tournament would be dominated by the non-LCS affiliated teams or if the amateur teams like Cloud9 Amateur, 100 Thieves Next, or Evil Geniuses Prodigies would lead the charge. In the end, it was two teams without any LCS connections that ended up performing. Zoos Gaming had been dominating the whole tournament, while Wildcard Red slowly ramped up throughout the playoffs. 

In the final, Wildcard Red showcased great team play and took the victory home in a fairly unexpected 3-1 fashion. Against players like Jean “Tuesday” Thery and Kieran “Allolrim” Logue on Zoos Gaming, it was no easy task. But the hunger to win on Wildcard Red led to the upset. Zoos Gaming was originally the favorites to win the final, but the star-studded amateur team will have to continue its fight for a spot at the LCS Proving Grounds.   

The next Proving Grounds qualifier will be the Risen Champions League, which will kick off on June 21. At this event, Zoos Gaming and several other teams will get yet another chance to secure one of the coveted spots at the LCS Proving Grounds Summer.  

Who is playing for Wildcard Red? 

Despite being an amateur team, the squad of Wildcard Red includes a lot of familiar names. In fact, three of the players are former LCS players and have a lot of competitive experience under their belt. The three have been paired up with two young talents, who might turn out as the LCS star of tomorrow.  

The Wildcard Red roster is: 

• Top – Niship “Dhokla” Doshi
• Jungle – Winston “Winston” Herold
• Mid – Bradley “Bradley” Benneyworth
• Bot – Noh “Arrow” Dong-hyeon
• Support – Sam “Daption” Zarriz