How will 100 Thieves fare in the 2024 LCS season?
If there is ever a team you are unsure what you will get out of them, it is 100 Thieves in 2024. After a miserable 2023 campaign, 100 Thieves has slashed their budget tenfold and is opting for more development talent mixed with veteran prowess. This is a project that 100 Thieves fans must be patient with and not demand change at first sight that things are going poorly. ESTNN is here to go through 100 Thieves’ offseason changes and how they should stack against the rest of the league.
Patience Is Key With 100 Thieves’ LCS Roster
Appeasing to its fans is one of the easiest methods for any team’s owner, whether in traditional sports or Esports. This is what 100 Thieves did out of the gate by adding LCS commodity Rayan “Sniper” Shoura to their starting roster. This player has been in the development pipeline for years, waiting to be held enough to play on North America’s biggest stage. This move ultimately meant Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho would finally depart the organization for good. While Sniper is an exciting prospect, it could have been good to have him learn under Ssumday at the beginning while also having a stable backup plan.
After multiple years with the organization, Can “Closer” Çelik was replaced by Kim “River” Dong-woo. Closer’s departure has been on the cards after a less-than-stellar year on 100 Thieves. The introduction of River, despite being on a “budget” plan, is an excellent pickup. River, at times last year, was competing with Robert “Blaber” Huang to be the best Junger in the LCS. River has proven multiple times over the years he can make magic out of very few resources, and he will be expected to do the same thing here with 100 Thieves this season in the LCS.
Perhaps to the surprise of many, Lim “Quid” Hyeon-seung is the only player from the 2023 roster. This is a move 100 Thieves should, in my opinion, be praised for. Too many times, organizations will import talent and throw them into difficult situations. If they do not succeed in game one, they are likely thrown to the wolves in the offseason. 100 Thieves has decided to keep the faith in Quid and give him more opportunities to improve. Quid is definitely rough around the edges, that is for sure. However, having a player who speaks the same language and is an exceptional veteran in River should see Quid improve much quicker.
Brandon “Meech” Cho is the second player on 100 Thieves who will make their LCS debut in the Spring Split. Meech is considered one of the best bottom laners coming out of the academy scene and will have big shoes to fill, replacing the newly retired Yiliang “Peter” “Doublelift” Peng. Meech is coming in with high praise, having just won the 2024 NACL Summer Playoffs with Disguised. Although Meech has been in the tier-two scene for quite some time, this is the perfect opportunity to strike while the iron is hot.
Bill “Eyla” Nguyen is a player with a point to prove going into the 2024 season. After a not-so-great performance last season, this feels like a do-or-die season for the Support player who was once seemingly being groomed to be the next Team Liquid support under the tutelage of CoreJJ whenever Eyla had to sub in for Team Liquid. What will be nice for Eyla is to finally have a steady home after being swapped around constantly on FlyQuest, followed by an Evil Geniuses organization that was, and still is, in turmoil. Having a rookie in Meech could be the opportunity Eyla has been looking for to redefine his playstyle.
100 Thieves LCS Spring 2024 Predictions
This roster will take some time; a slow burner is probably a more appropriate phrase. With a young head coach in Greyson Gregory “Goldenglue” Gilmer at the helm, there may be some growing pains for the organization as they figure out how they want to play the game and if further changes are needed in the future. Pieces like Sniper and Quid are going to take some time.
They are expected to be two of the weaker solo laners, meaning River will have to put in a lot of work to accommodate these players. 100 Thieves should be floating anywhere between 5th-8th. Having a player like River will likely mean they are bumped a place or two on him alone, but not one player can make them a contender. Fans must be patient and allow these players to blend into the new 100 Thieves system.
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