The Golden Guardians are in the middle of rebuilding their brand, and with it comes an entirely new roster. The organization owned by the NBA team Golden State Warriors has just announced their new lineup for the 2021 season. This roster is full of rookies and familiar faces, but the most important part of it all? They’re full of passion.
We're hoping to set the standard for what a reset and what a developmental team looks like
Introducing the GG Spring 2021 #LCS Roster:
Top: @NilesLOL
Jungle: @iconic_lol
Mid: @Ablazeolive
Bot: @Stixxay
Support: @newbiel0l pic.twitter.com/ourwDJZeID— Golden Guardians (@GoldenGuardians) November 23, 2020
From Latin America to the LCS
In a Twitter announcement Monday night, Golden Guardians shared their upcoming roster that includes a few new names. They have agreed to sign Latin America’s best support player Leandro “Newbie” Marcos. Newbie has a track record of winning titles consistently within the past few years. While playing for LLA team All Knights, he won first place in the 2019 and 2020 Opening Split and the 2020 Closing Split. Before that, he won several titles under Isurus Gaming. Newbie’s experience in the LLA may serve as an opportunity to help Golden Guardians rise to the top ranks in the upcoming LCS season.
Voy a ser el nuevo support de @GoldenGuardians y voy a estar jugando la #LCS en 2021. Estoy muy feliz de esta oportunidad que llegó en un momento que no me esperaba para nada, voy a trabajar muy duro para aprovechar al máximo. Gracias a todos por el apoyo ♥ https://t.co/qGcbxRrJiU
— Newbie (@newbiel0l) November 23, 2020
Ablazeolive and Stixxay join in
The team also promoted Nicholas “Ablazeolive” Abbott from the Golden Guardians Academy to their starting mid-laner position. While Ablazeolive struggled in the past year to gain top place in multiple matches, his experience playing against several top Academy teams may be useful for the new season. Additionally, he’ll be playing in the same team as CLG‘s Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes. As a veteran pro League of Legends player, Stixxay has plenty of experience. He’s attended multiple championship series matches and participated in Worlds 2016. Although he’s also struggled to have a solid track history, having Newbie as support may be the boost he needs to gain some perspective on the rift.
Iconic and Niles move from the collegiate to pro scene
Adding on to the roster is a move many didn’t see coming. Golden Guardians have officially signed collegiate esports players. Ethan “Iconic” Wilkinson will be the starting jungler for the upcoming season, alongside Aiden “Niles” Tidwell. Niles was drafted at 2020 NA Scouting Grounds with the exclusivity window ending on November 24, so the team acted quickly to pick him up. Overall, both players have an impressive history in amateur League of Legends. They’ve played besides each other for the Maryville University collegiate team, and have shown nothing but determination. Their team has recently won first place in the UCLA Esports Summer Invitational and the Upsurge Premier League tournament. Maryville University conducted a short interview with Niles that allows him to introduce himself to the pro League of Legends community.
My last interview with @ShipleeTV… bittersweet but give it a watch, explains a lot of my background and my journey https://t.co/sODc0xbyKg
— Niles (@NilesLOL) November 23, 2020
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