Major Roster Updates in League of Legends 2021 Season

2020 has been an excitement-filled year for League of Legends fans. The 10^th year of League of Legends competition brought out some amazing new players and teams and bid farewell to some esports legends. The year was filled with challenges and emotions due to the influence of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Fans got to witness underdog teams like Suning and Rogue making history in the League of Legends esports scene, and it has been thrilling to watch. However, 2020 has slowly come to an end and teams and players are already getting ready to face the 2021 season.

The 2021 season looks promising and entertaining due to some major roster changes that were announced during the past couple of months. The most eye-catching changes are:

• Perkz signing up with Cloud9 and moving to the LCS
• Rekkles leaving Fnatic to join G2 Esports
• 2020 Worlds Finalist Swordart joining TSM
• Huni signing up with TSM
• Bang moving back to LCK and signing up with Afreeca Freecs

The first roster change that immediately caught mainstream attention was the Perkz transfer. The contract Luka “Perkz” Perković had with G2 Esports reportedly expired recently, making him a free agent who was up for grabs. Allegedly, several teams had kept an eye out for this veteran player, but in the end Perkz decided to join C9 for a reported $4 million contract. The former European player has officially moved to North America for the 2021 season.

The Perkz transfer left an opening in the most dominant team in Europe: G2 Esports. They announced the AD Carry (ADC) recruitment posts all over their social media at the time; however, to everyone’s surprise, former Fnatic AD Carry left his team and announced that he’s decided to join G2 as the new ADC. The transfer reunited Carl “Rekkles” Larsson with his former teammate and rival, Caps, and the new G2 roster looks like a force to be reckoned with.

The next biggest transfer, the Swordart acquisition, created some drama within the community. During Swordart’s negotiations with TSM, the ADC veteran in LCS, Doublelift, went on to say that he might consider retiring if the Swordart acquisition didn’t go through. The negotiations lasted for quite some time, and Doublelift ultimately officially announced his retirement from competitive League of Legends. The Swordart deal happened for a record-breaking $6 million, right after Doublelift’s announcement, sparking controversy within the community.

How is the 2021 League of Legends Season looking for you? Are you more excited about LEC, LCK, or LCS?