League of Legends Championship Series 2022 is on the horizon, where ten teams from North America will compete for domestic glory. While defending champions, 100 Thieves will hope to continue where they left newly formed super team Team Liquid, and Cloud9 will want to prove their mettle. That said, there are a lot of big names that won’t be part of the league and are currently free agents or playing in the minor leagues. We’ve compiled a list of one top player from each role that won’t be playing in LCS 2022.
Top- Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell
Hauntzer’s fall from grace has been an incredible journey for many to witness. The 26 year top laner has won LCS three times with TSM and was on his way to being one of the best homegrown talents LCS has ever seen. However, he won’t be part of the LCS in the upcoming season as no team has picked him up to be the starting top laner.
Jungle- Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen
Although Svenskeren is not what he used to be a few seasons ago, he can still produce brilliant moments in the right circumstances. The Danish jungler was part of Evil Geniuses last season but didn’t have a strong stint by any means. The last couple of seasons have been mediocre for Svenskeren, and with him not finding a team this season, many would think his professional playing career is coming to an end
Mid- Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen
Perhaps the most prominent name missing this season from LCS is Team Liquid’s ex mid laner Jensen. The two time LCS champion has been one of the best mid laners for the past five years. He has consistently performed at the highest level and is arguably the best LCS performer at the Worlds’ stage. That said, he finds himself without a team after Team Liquid signed Bjergsen to be the new starting mid laner.
AD Carry- Yiliang “Peter” “Doublelift” Peng
Although Doublelift didn’t play in the LCS last season, it was heavily rumoured that the most decorated player in the LCS history is going to make a return. However, after weeks of speculations, Doublelift confirmed that he wouldn’t play in the upcoming LCS split as no top team showed interest in him. He did get a lot of offers, but nothing came to fruition. Many fans and analysts believe that he can still be a solid AD Carry in any top team, but it seems his playing days are far gone.
Support- Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam
Zeyzal had an impressive debut at the LCS stage. He was the starting mid laner for Cloud 9, where he saw the best of his career. However, once he was released by Cloud 9, he never looked the same. After a mediocre stint at Evil Geniuses and Not An Academy Team, Zeyzal finds himself with SolaFide Esports in the amateur league and not in the LCS.
