Dignitas move Soligo to LCS Academy after first week of Summer Split

After only the first week of LCS Summer Split, Team Dignitas have announced that their starting midlaner Max “Soligo” Soong will be moved to the Academy team, swapping places with David “Yusui” Bloomquist ahead of their next match on June 12.

In a video posted on Twitter, the organization’s Director of Esports, James Baker announced the shocking roster swap. He stated that they “feel that the swap will enable both players accelerate their growth and overall work better for the team in the long run.”

#LCS Roster Update | #DignitasQNTMPAY pic.twitter.com/l1JRhTwvjU

— Dignitas (@dignitas) June 9, 2021

A surprise roster swap from Dignitas

Soligo’s move to the Academy team comes just days after Team Liquid benched their starting top laner. With the LCS Summer Split just beginning, Dignitas becomes yet another LCS team to make a roster swap. However, the decision to bench Soligo from their LCS starting lineup is a strange one.

Although Dignitas had an embarrassing exit to the LCS Mid-Season Showdown, they still performed way beyond expectations in the regular Spring Split. Moreover, throughout the Split, Soligo was instrumental in helping his team finish with an impressive 11-7 record. According to Oracle’s Elixir, he had the highest assist numbers for a mid laner and finished within the top five in almost every statistic.

Additionally, Dignitas began the Summer Split on a good note, finishing week one with a 2-1 record. They won both games against Evil Genuises and  FlyQuest, with an eventual defeat to 100 Thieves. In the games won, Soligo had a total of 21 kill involvements.

Possibility of a 6 man roster for Dignitas LCS team

From the roster swap announcement, one of the team’s goal is to better the individual players in the long run. James stated that both players had been performing well in their respective leagues. However, this was needed to better the team. So,  Dignitas may end up trying out a 6-man roster with both mid-laners rotating places depending on their performances. However, with the Summer Split still in its infancy, it is too early to tell how this move will pan out.

The 2021 LCS Summer Split has witnessed an increase in the number of early roster swaps and could see even more if things don’t go as planned for these teams.

Dignitas return to the rift against TL on June 12 at 7 p.m ET.