It’s been a roller coaster of a year for Cloud9 fans. From completely dominating the 2020 Spring Split to bouncing out of Worlds contention a split later, things haven’t been this turbulent for the longtime LCS organization in a while.
After missing out on the 2020 League of Legends World Championship, the team has started to make some big changes to its roster. In fact, C9 already made waves earlier this week by reportedly dropping longtime top laner Licorice for Academy top laner Fudge. Licorice later confirmed that he was told by C9 that he won’t be a part of the team next season. This decision was a surprise to many since C9 previously announced in September that it was keeping its entire 2020 roster together for the next year.
After spending almost three years with C9, Licorice has become one of the most recognizable names in North America. He’s solidified himself as one of the best top laners in the league with his great individual performances and even better leadership skills.
With the 2020 offseason now beginning for LCS teams, the 23-year-old veteran will be one of the hottest commodities on the market for teams. But which team would be the best fit for Licorice? There are plenty of spots he could fill, but only a few could lead to greatness.
In fact, one destination comes to mind when thinking about a possible new home for one of NA’s best domestic talents: FlyQuest.
FlyQuest has been one of the more surprising stories of the LCS this year after being underrated by many fans throughout the regular season, playoffs, and even during their own run at Worlds 2020. And yet this team has proven the doubters wrong over and over again.
For the first time in the team’s history, they had back-to-back top-four regular season finishes in 2020. They also reached two consecutive LCS finals, attended Worlds for the first time, and went 3-3 in a group with Top Esports and DRX. Even though they weren’t able to win any trophies, this was a monumental year for the organization.
But this team usually isn’t even given a second thought by fans who are normally focused on the more popular North American organizations. FlyQuest needs something—or someone—to help announce to the world that they’re true contenders that deserve some praise as well.
If FlyQuest added a well-known and well-respected star like Licorice, maybe fans would start to consider them a team that’s worthy of their own hype. But they’ll still need to earn their fandom through the way they play. And if Licorice joins FlyQuest, he could help elevate the team on the Rift as well.
