This information, first shared by esports journalist Travis Gafford, has surprised many, particularly with NRG��s unexpected exit.
I've heard from multiple individuals close to the teams that NRG and Immortals will not be competing in the LCS in 2025https://t.co/bNVn8UZAAW pic.twitter.com/rD1dau8tcC
— Travis Gafford (@TravisGafford) September 10, 2024
Immortals�� departure comes as little surprise due to their underwhelming performance since rejoining the LCS in 2019.
However, NRG��s exit has left the community stunned, especially considering the organisation acquired Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) and its LCS slot in 2023.
In a short span, NRG built a championship-winning roster, had a solid run at the 2023 World Championship, and now appears to be walking away from League of Legends esports.
Fans expressed frustration, with some accusing NRG of buying the team only to let it operate on autopilot before bailing.
This report also lists six teams expected to participate in the new League of Legends Americas competition: Cloud9, Dignitas, Shopify Rebellion, FlyQuest, and 2024 World Championship representatives Team Liquid and 100 Thieves.
While these teams are expected to make the transition, there are still uncertainties, particularly regarding 100 Thieves, which is rumoured to be considering restructuring or even selling its league spot.
The restructuring of the LCS comes as Riot Games plans to merge North America��s LCS with Latin America’s LLA and Brazil��s CBLOL into a unified two-conference region by 2025.
While teams like Cloud9, FlyQuest, Liquid, and Shopify Rebellion have reportedly embraced the changes, nothing is set in stone until Riot formally announces the final list of participants.
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TEAM LIQUID vs NRG LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | TL $1.09 at GG Bet | NRG $6.75 at GG Bet |
| When: | August 10, 2024 | 13:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
By beating Cloud9 last round, Team Liquid claimed the tag as the no.1 team in the LCS. It was a solid display from Liquid, but not that surprising, considering the LCS 2024 Spring champions tend to perform better when faced with stronger teams.
After losing to Dignitas 0-2 on Saturday, NRG are 2-4 and in danger of missing the playoffs. That is expected as NRG have been struggling this split, ranking bottom-three across most metrics. That includes -157 gold difference per minute, 1770 gold per minute, 30.8% first tower rate, 38.5% first blood rate, and the league’s second-worst -1207 gold difference at 15 minutes.
The betting odds on this match reflect a considerable quality difference between the two sides. And even though Liquid have had some closer games against weaker opponents, this should be an easy fixture for them.
Team Liquid -1.5 maps
SHOPIFY REBELLION vs 100 THIEVES LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | SR $7.40 at GG Bet | 100T $1.08 at GG Bet |
| When: | August 10, 2024 | 16:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
Even though LCS teams are not that far apart quality-wise, Shopify Rebellion have proven to be one of the least efficient squads of the split. But despite their concerning record, Shopify Rebellion showed some signs of life over the last two weeks, with a 2-0 win against Dignitas and a decent showing in a 1-2 loss to FlyQuest.
100 Thieves won their second match of LCS 2024 Summer against Immortals on Saturday, but not without a struggle. It was a terrible display from Kim “River” Dong-woo and his crew, who won only thanks to Immortals’ atrocious performance. Such a display should make anyone wonder why LoL betting sites have them priced as favourites.
Neither of these teams are good, but that applies to all LCS squads outside of the top three. Therefore, any plus money bet we can get in these affairs is a solid choice.
Immortals to win
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NRG vs DIGNITAS LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | NRG $1.70 at GG Bet | DIG $2.10 at GG Bet |
| When: | August 3, 2024 | 13:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
NRG have secured two victories this split, and they hardly deserve much more. NRG are one of the worst-performing teams in the league — especially in the early game, with a -1355 gold difference and a -0.5 tower difference at 15 minutes.
Dignitas are 1-4 and on a three-game losing streak, yet they have shown a pulse against stronger opponents. They fumbled against Shopify Rebellion last week and lost 0-2, but the eye test suggests Dignitas are not terrible. Like NRG, they are simply not good.
Despite the difference in win tallies, there are no reasons to believe NRG are stronger than Dignitas. The two LoL esports teams seem very close in quality, so taking Dignitas�� side at plus money makes more sense.
Dignitas to win
100 THIEVES vs IMMORTALS LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | 100T $1.40 at GG Bet | IMT $2.87 at GG Bet |
| When: | August 3, 2024 | 19:30 KST |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
100 Thieves took a map from FlyQuest last week, which might explain the prices offered by LoL betting sites. But FlyQuest aren��t the most consistent team, so we can take 100 Thieves�� success with a grain of salt.
100 Thieves are one of the more volatile teams in the league, and their total kills average per game (27.8) is a good indication of how they like to play. Immortals, meanwhile, are the least bloody team in LCS 2024 Summer (22.6 average kills), mainly due to their ability to keep games fairly stable in the first 15 minutes.
The quality difference between LCS teams outside the top three is marginal enough not to have such strong favourites for any series. As such, it makes very little sense to give Immortals under 35% implied probability to defeat a squad who are just as bad as them.
Immortals to win
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CLOUD9 vs NRG |
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| Best Odds: | C9 $1.15 at GG Bet | NRG $0.00 at GG Bet |
| When: | July 27, 2024 |13:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
Cloud9 are 4-0 after four weeks of LCS 2024 Summer, and based on their performance stats, they��re the best team in the league. Cloud9 still have some things to iron out, but even in their current state, C9 do not seem like they can be stopped by any team not named Team Liquid or FlyQuest.
NRG secured their second consecutive victory of the split on Monday when they defeated Shopify Rebellion. Yet despite the win, NRG performed poorly and displayed no improvement from their past showings.
The market has seemingly caught up with NRG not being a great team, yet even $1.61 for Cloud9 to sweep with top esports betting sites is too generous to pass on. The kill handicap line is set at 8.5 which looks fair, so no play there.
Cloud9 -1.5 maps
SHOPIFY REBELLION vs DIGNITAS |
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| Best Odds: | SR $3.38 at GG Bet | DIG $1.30 at GG Bet |
| When: | July 27, 2024 |16:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
Shopify Rebellion have been abysmal this split. They have not won a single series nor a map over the four games played; however, they showed some good things against NRG in the previous round.
It was a bizarre series that should have ended in Shopify Rebellion��s favour, yet they threw their advantageous positions too often. This is concerning information, but besides the throws, Shopify Rebellion performed well.
Dignitas did well against Team Liquid, but they got sloppy and lost 1-2. In that game and across the preview fixtures, Dignitas have proven to be resilient with some good qualities, but they��re not very good.
At the current price, Shopify Rebellion are expected to win just 29.6% of the time, which is a bit low, assuming they don��t shoot themselves in the foot again. At $1.75, Shopify Rebellion to take a map is an offer we can��t pass on.
Shopify Rebellion +1.5 Maps
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Every team needs a Captain
Welcome @nitr0 to NRG CS2! pic.twitter.com/mejFK4ne9x
— NRG (@NRGgg) July 4, 2024
nitr0 was the in-game leader for Team Liquid from 2015-2020 and led the young roster to several tournament wins, culminating with the Season 2 Intel Grand Slam, netting Liquid a massive US$1 million bonus.
Nicknamed “Captain America” by many North American Counter-Strike fans, nitr0 left Liquid in August of 2020 to compete in VALORANT esports, after the title was released two months earlier.
The 28-year-old signed with 100 Thieves and played for the North American-owned organisation until December 2021, before returning to Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike squad in January 2022.
However, his second spell with Liquid wasn’t as fruitful as the first, and nitr0 found himself benched by June of the following year, leading him to a VALORANT return in January of this year as he signed with M80.
M80 struggled to crack into the top tier of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT), and after six months on the roster, nitr0 announced his retirement from the title in June.
With his VALORANT days firmly behind him, nitr0 will now return to Counter-Strike, where he will take on a new challenge and attempt to lead a struggling NRG outfit back into the top tier of competitive CS2.
He will reconnect with his former Team Liquid teammates, Damian “daps” Steele and Josh “oSee” Ohm, which should help integrate nitr0 into the team quickly.
NRG will be gearing up for their ESL Challenger League Season 48 campaign, which will kick off on July 15, and they will be the sixth-highest-ranked team in the event.
NRG Counter-Strike 2 roster
- Timothy “?autimatic?” Ta
- Vincent “?Brehze?” Cayonte
- Josh “?oSee?” Ohm
- Jadan “?HexT?” Postma
- Nick “?nitr0?” Cannella
- Coach: Damian “?daps?” Steele ]]>
100 THIEVES vs TEAM LIQUID LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | 100T $3.73 at GG Bet | TL $1.26 at GG Bet |
| When: | June 27, 2024 | 13:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
Since the difference in quality between all eight LCS teams is marginal, seeing esports betting sites install Team Liquid as $1.26 favourites doesn’t make much sense.
Liquid have not shown much this season — even though they outperformed expectations at Mid-Season Invitational 2024. They’ve edged past FlyQuest and defeated Shopify Rebellion in this split, which is hardly more exciting than 100 Thieves’ 2-0 sweep of NRG and loss against Dignitas.
That defeat alone could be a big reason 100 Thieves are such massive underdogs. But while 100T didn’t look great that day, Team Liquid should never be priced so short for this affair. At the offered number, 100 Thieves to take a map is an easy choice.
100 Thieves +1.5 maps
IMMORTALS vs NRG LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | IMT $2.12 at GG Bet | NRG $1.69 at GG Bet |
| When: | June 27, 2024 | 16:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Lolesports, Twitch |
NRG have been overrated for a while now, and things haven’t changed this split. They’re 0-2 after two weeks of play, with losses against 100 Thieves and FlyQuest, and while NRG took a map from FlyQuest, that’s more of an indication of how closely contested the league is.
Immortals picked up a win in the first week against Shopify Rebellion and lost to Cloud9 in two maps on Saturday. While that is not the best start, it’s hard to expect them to accomplish more with that schedule.
NRG field a better roster of players, but this didn’t help them in their loss against Immortals in the LCS 2024 Spring, nor is it a good reason to back them at this price. Get on Immortals at plus money.
Immortals to win
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SENTINELS vs EVIL GENIUSES VCT BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Sentinels $1.08 at GG Bet | EG $6.88 at GG Bet |
| When: | April 23, 2024 | 14:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/valorant_americas) |
Sentinels bounced back following a 0-2 loss against Leviatan in Week 2 with a 2-0 sweep of MiBR on Saturday. It was a good showing from the reigning VCT 2024 Madrid Masters champions, who gave MiBR very little room to breathe, showing excellent execution on both attack and defence.
Evil Geniuses have not been as successful this season. They showed some good qualities against Cloud9 on Monday when they won Lotus with a strong performance on defence, but even that was overshadowed by poor showings on Sunset and Split.
The biggest issue with EG is their weak map pool. Unlike the 2023 roster, Evil Geniuses are also not as adaptable, which explains their lack of consistency and slow starts.
Sentinels should win, but at $1.08 with VCT bookmakers, they’re overrated. Evil Geniuses are not great, but they tend to do well on certain maps, and as long as they don’t fall behind too early, they can do some damage.
Evil Geniuses +1.5 maps
NRG vs MIBR VCT BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | NRG $1.63 at GG Bet | MIBR $2.19 at GG Bet |
| When: | April 23, 2024 | 17:00 PDT |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/valorant_americas) |
NRG are slowly making a case for themselves as one of the strongest VALORANT esports teams in the region. They did well in the Kickoff tournament, with just one 1-2 defeat against the eventual champions, Sentinels, and they haven’t looked bad so far in VCT 2024 Americas Stage 1.
Max “Demon1” Mazanov, in particular, has been phenomenal, with the league’s third-highest average performance rating at 1.39, ahead of Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen, who ranks fifth at 1.29.
MiBR enter the third week of VCT 2024 Americas Stage 1 with a 0-2 record after defeats against Sentinels and KRU Esports. Like NRG, MiBR had moments during VCT 2024 Americas Kickoff, but they’ve not looked good ever since Stage 1 started.
VALORANT betting sites have NRG priced as $1.63 favourites, which is very generous considering how much better they’ve been playing than MiBR. This number likely won’t hold, but anything around $1.60 is worth a bet.
NRG to win
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The team has announced the signing of Colby “Walco” Walsh, formerly of Party Astronauts, as their new in-game leader.
Leading the team into battle
Please welcome @WalcoCS to NRG CS2 as our new IGL! pic.twitter.com/UWVlnda7Km
— NRG Current (@NRGcurrent) March 7, 2024
This move confirms an earlier report by Dust2.us and marks a pivotal shift in leadership, with Walco taking over from Damian “daps” Steele, who has transitioned to a coaching role within the organization.
Walco’s arrival sees him reunite with Jadan “HexT” Postma, his former teammate from RBG, Carpe Diem, and Evil Geniuses.
The Canadian captain brings with him a promising track record, notably outperforming NRG in qualifiers for ESL Challenger Melbourne and showing resilience against top teams like Team Liquid in the IEM Dallas open qualifier.
These changes come on the heels of disappointing results for NRG since their roster formation in November.
The team struggled in online qualifier campaigns in North America and failed to secure a spot in the PGL Major Copenhagen Americas RMR.
Despite a second chance at the RMR event due to another team’s withdrawal, NRG’s performance in Monterrey was lackluster, resulting in an early exit.
In a statement to Dust2.us, daps revealed the challenges NRG faced in recruiting multiple players from Evil Geniuses when the roster was initially formed.
With ESL Challenger League and RMR qualifiers approaching, daps took on the in-game leader role, acknowledging the gap between his current abilities and his past performance.
Additionally, NRG has announced the departure of Justin “FaNg” Coakley from the team, continuing their restructuring efforts.
As we continue to reshape NRG CS2 for future Major qualifications, we are deciding to part ways with @FaNgJC.
We would like to thank FaNg for his contributions to our team and we know he has a bright future ahead. pic.twitter.com/KvKBaftrX9
— NRG Current (@NRGcurrent) March 7, 2024
FaNg, who joined NRG after being benched by Complexity, contributed decently to the team’s performance but ultimately became part of the roster overhaul as NRG seeks to rebuild and regain competitiveness.
These changes signify a new chapter for NRG as they aim to reshape their roster and reclaim their position among the top teams in Counter-Strike.
]]>After their records fell to 0-2, NRG, BESTIA, Nouns and Elevate were all eliminated, and they will have to wait a little longer for a Counter-Strike Major berth.
NRG
is out of the RMR, while MIBR
marches on after a decisive victory in their favor after overtime.
Up next, Nouns vs. Legacy face off in the next BO3 on Stream A. The action continues! #PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/cEbl1jXApG
— PGL (@pglesports) March 2, 2024
MIBR faced off against NRG in a showdown that saw MIBR asserting dominance from the get-go.
NRG’s choice of Inferno backfired as MIBR swept through them with ease, securing a convincing 13-2 victory.
Despite NRG’s efforts to rally on Anubis, MIBR ultimately triumphed 16-13, securing their spot in the next stage of the tournament.
BESTIA becomes the first team to exit the RMR after a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Wildcard
Wildcard gears up for another clash tomorrow.
Up next on Stream B: Elevate vs. ODDIK.
#PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/4oUoAh02as
— PGL (@pglesports) March 2, 2024
Meanwhile, Wildcard clashed with BESTIA in a fierce battle on Mirage, with Wildcard emerging victorious with a 13-9 score line.
The tides turned even more in Wildcard’s favour on BESTIA’s pick of Anubis, with Wildcard clinching the win at 13-4.
Nouns are out of the RMR following their defeat against Legacy over 3 maps
Legacy moves forward, gearing up to battle tomorrow for another shot at attending the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024!
#PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/g6DXHepyPa
— PGL (@pglesports) March 2, 2024
Legacy and ODDIK also had their moments of glory, with Legacy defeating Nouns 2-1 (9-13, 13-4, 13-7) and ODDIK surpassing Elevate 2-1 (13-11, 10-13, 13-10).
Legacy’s stellar performance on Overpass secured them a decisive victory over Nouns, while ODDIK, led by the impressive play of Jo?o “?matios?” Guedes, secured a hard-fought win over Elevate in a three-map series.
ODDIK eliminates Elevate after a fiercely contested series
They're set to return to the fray tomorrow for more action!
#PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/E2vqY3sqB3
— PGL (@pglesports) March 2, 2024
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This marks his third and, as he emphasizes, final departure from competitive play.
Doublelift initially entered the scene in March 2011 with CLG, later playing for TSM and Team Liquid before concluding his career with 100 Thieves.
Throughout his illustrious career, he secured 13 LCS split titles and achieved membership in the 1,000 kill career club, showcasing his prowess as a top-tier AD carry. Notably, he boasts an impressive record of 10 pentakills on the professional stage.
His past retirements were driven by different factors.
The first time, he cited mental strain and a perceived hindrance to his performance, prompting a break for a much-needed mental reset.
The second retirement occurred due to a lack of attractive team offers, leading him to transition into content creation through streaming and co-streaming the LCS.
In this latest retirement announcement, Doublelift highlighted several reasons for his decision.
Foremost among them is his concern about the impact of budget cuts on the North American region, leading to a diminished ability to maintain competitive rosters and acquire emerging talent.
While specific sources validating these concerns are absent, Doublelift expressed worry about the declining resources affecting the LCS.
Moreover, Doublelift noted a shifting focus in his personal life, with aspirations for marriage and starting a family.
He emphasized that his decision is not driven by financial motives, but rather by the evolving landscape of the league and his changing life goals.
Despite the projected challenges for the LCS, recent developments, such as NRG’s strong performance in Worlds 2023, challenge the narrative of an irreversible decline.
NRG, the winner of the 2023 Summer split, reached the quarterfinals, surpassing even some LEC teams.
Doublelift confirmed that, despite retiring from professional play, he intends to fully engage in content creation.
This includes regular streaming, climbing the ranked ladder, and potentially participating in casual tournaments.
Fans can catch his content on his Twitch channel at twitch.tv/doublelift.
Peter ��Doublelift�� Peng made the retirement announcement on December 2, 2023, through a comprehensive 14-minute interview, stressing that this decision is final and driven by a combination of personal and professional factors.
My Future pic.twitter.com/b835ewQoKA
— Yiliang Peng (@Doublelift1) December 1, 2023
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