After releasing their entire roster just a few days ago, Golden Guardians has now announced its new 2021 roster.
While the team fielded high-profile players like Can “Closer” Celik and Victor “FBI” Huang in 2020, the organization is looking to develop up and coming talent for 2021.
The team’s decision to go for a full rebuild is rooted in the LCS’ underperforming appearances in international tournaments. With the whole region lacking in organic development that other regions like the LPL and LCK have, GGS is breaking the mold by giving opportunities to lesser known players to play in the LCS.
“I’m hoping that we set the standard for what a reset and a developmental team looks like,” said GGS general manager Danan Flander. “When NA once again didn’t make it out of groups, I think that’s what we’ll be able to point to and say that we’re trying to problem solve it in a unique way compared to other teams.”
- 100 Thieves sign nearly the entire 2020 Golden Guardians roster
- PowerOfEvil replaces Bjergsen as TSM’s mid-laner
Here’s what the 2021 GGS roster looks like:
- Top: Aiden “Niles” Tidwell
- Jungle: Ethan “Iconic” Wilkinson
- Mid: Nicholas “Ablazeolive” Abbott
- Bot: Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes
- Support: Leandro “Newbie” Marcos
As you can see, the roster is as fresh as it can get. GGS has gotten some young talent in Niles and Iconic who both hail from Maryville University while diehard GGS fans can look forward to Academy mid-laner Ablazeolive’s promotion into the LCS.
For the bot lane, Golden Guardians finalize its squad with veteran Stixxay and import player Newbie who’s had some solid success with All Knights in the LLA.
While the team has no real standout talents as of now, Golden Guardians is paving the way for a strong development process. With the reset, the LCS team is showing the rest of the league the importance of bringing hardworking and motivated players in the highest levels of competitive play.
