Excel Esports, who would manage to enter the LEC via franchising, is locking in their roster for 2019. The team would pick up top laner Ki “Expect” Dae-han as one of their last acquisitions of 2018. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster consists of Marc “Caedrel” Robert Lamont, Fabian “Exileh” Schubert, Jesper “Jeskla” Klarin Strömberg and Raymond “kaSing” Tsang.
Welcome 3 time EU champ @Expect74 🇰🇷
*pending Riot Games approval* pic.twitter.com/VXneqHsK0H
— EXCEL (@EXCEL) December 7, 2018
Excel Esports would make their announcements from the end of December through until November 7. They would first reveal their acquisition of kaSing on Twitter, with Jeskla following a couple of days later. Caedrel and Exileh would join the team in the following days afterward. Excel now has their full lineup on display for the 2019 LEC season, so what are the first impressions on the roster?
Looking Towards 2019
In all honesty, not many people have high hopes for Excel Esports, due to a lack of firepower from the roster. None of the players they would acquire were big names, and the market for ADCs and mid laners was already pretty thin. As a result, they have gathered a collection of great role players, but have no stars to help carry the team. Let us first look at their top laner, Expect.
Expect has been playing in Europe for a while now, and really made a name for himself in the EU LCS. Before moving to Europe in 2016, he would play for three Korean teams that have long disbanded. He would first play on G2 Esports where he would win three EU LCS championships as the starting top laner. Unfortunately, at the end of the 2017 year, the team would release him to free agency. He wouldn’t find any breaks in the LCS, only managing to become a sub for Fnatic after his stint for Origen at European Masters 2018.
Their jungler, Caedrel, has been all over the European League of Legends scene. He would become a bit more well-known when he would play for H2K Gaming, but he wouldn’t find much success with the organization in the EU LCS. Caedrel and H2k would never crack the top five of the regular season. He would also spend some time on teams such as Diabolus Esports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Team LDLC.
Any hopes for Excel?
The rest of the roster have similar stories to their teammates; they are players who haven’t really impressed many people in their time in the EU LCS. The best player on the team may be their mid laner, Fabian “Exileh” Schubert, who last played for Unicorns of Love. In 2017, he would manage some great finishes in the regular season, even making it to the Spring Split Finals that year. However, a horrid 2018 campaign and UOL failing to make franchising would send him into free agency.
Another player to watch is kaSing, who has been on some pretty good rosters throughout his career. However, he hasn’t been able to really show off his skills yet. His best season would be alongside Team Vitality in 2017’s Spring Split. Team Vitality would manage to snag third place in the regular season, although they would be upset by sixth-seeded Fnatic in the playoffs.
What are your thoughts on Excel Esports’ roster? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more LEC coverage, check us out here!
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