League Championship Series’ New Member Accuses Big Name of Poaching
Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) management has recently been found guilty of attempting to poach William “Scarra” Li from Team Dignitas. CLG encouraged Li to not re-sign with his team and instead join them as a coach. After an investigation, Riot issued a fine of $10,000 and a three-week suspension to Li. This caused some trouble for CLG, as they needed a stand-in coach to comply with the new LCS rules. In response, CLG owner George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis issued an apology for his actions.
The poaching of players is not uncommon in the professional League of Legends scene. Team SoloMid’s Bjergsen was fined $2000 for trying to find his own replacement as he left Ninjas In Pyjamas, a move that was encouraged by the team’s management. Team Coast also had to erase a long post from their website detailing how Team SoloMid effectively poached their jungler Santorin. Team Coast said that the post was written by someone who had gone rogue with their password, but team owner David Slan later assured everyone that the transfer was done legitimately.
Fnatic Faces Accusations of Improper Transfers
Fnatic, a prominent European organization and former World Champions, has recently come under scrutiny for their transfer activity. They have lost most of their roster, including top players, and are trying to assemble a new squad before the season starts. H2K, an organization they recruited from, is unhappy with how the transfers were conducted.
H2K CEO Richard Wells reached out to the Daily Dot to inform them about his complaints to Riot regarding Fnatic’s violation of the rules. He shared evidence of Fnatic players and management directly contacting players under contract, specifically Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and Petter “Hjärnan” Freyschuss. These approaches were made after Fnatic successfully secured their spot in the LCS after the European expansion tournament.
While Wells acknowledges that the transfer deal for mid laner Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten was handled properly, he is frustrated with how Fnatic handled the transfers of his other players. He claims that Fnatic had no regard for the rules and that they referenced private elements of player contracts while approaching them, even instructing them on how to execute the buyout clause. Wells has submitted his concerns to Riot and hopes they will investigate the matter further.
Concerns Raised and Response from Fnatic
Wells expressed his frustration with Fnatic’s actions, stating that they attempted to dismantle his team by going directly through the players, despite already having an open dialogue. He believes that even though Challenger teams may be treated differently when it comes to these rules, Fnatic’s approaches occurred after H2K had been promoted and therefore should be taken seriously.
Fnatic management is aware of the allegations and has stated that they are looking into the matter. They hope to gain further clarity by having dialogues with the parties involved.
Illustration by Jason Reed
League Championship Series, poaching, Counter Logic Gaming, Riot, fine, suspension, Team SoloMid, Bjergsen, Team Coast, Fnatic, H2K, transfers, Febiven.