Team Liquid adds former CLG Black member Lourlo to fill out the their starting roster for the 2016 season and names former TSM Head Coach as their new Head Coach.
When it was announced that Team Liquid was suspending their veteran Top Laner Diego "Quas" Ruiz and that he would subsequently decide to retire from professional League of Legends, the roster and the team's designs for 2016 were immediately thrown into chaos. Team Liquid even had to bow out of IEM Cologne and had to immediately scramble to find a suitable Top Laner for the upcoming season and it had to be a domestic talent as both of Team Liquid's import slots were filled by Mid Laner Kim "FeniX" Jae-hun and AD Carry Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin.
Team Liquid has finally moved forward and, with the Spring Split of NA LCS on the quickly approaching horizon, put their money on Sampson "Lourlo" Jackson. This promising rookie boasts strengths that center around a carry-style and mechanically-sound Top Laner. Team Liquid definitely got the best they could with the depleted free agent market but we shall have to see whether Lourlo can live up to Quas' legacy on TL.
Team Liquid also made a few other (and arguably larger) moves as well, announcing their plans for a 10-man roster and thereby mimicking the rising trend in China and Korea of a full sub-squad attached to their starting roster. Nothing has been offically said as to who the sub players will be, but it has been largely rumored and assumed that the team will use the roster of their Challenger squad, Team Liquid Academy, as their subs for the main roster.
They also have officially appointed Choi "Locodoco" Yoon-sub as the new Head Coach. Loco was previously brought in just to manage content for Team Liquid, but after their previous candidate faltered, Locodoco was asked to step in and take over. We shall have to see if these gambles pay off for TL when the LCS begins again in the coming weeks.
