After a month of reports and speculation, former Cloud9 star top laner Licorice has reportedly found a home for the new year.
The 23-year-old will be joining FlyQuest as the team’s new starting top laner for 2021, according to esports journalist Jacob Wolf. He will also reportedly be joined by former C9 Academy members Palafox and Diamond. This marks the second year in a row that C9 has finalized a multiple player package in the offseason with another team.
A week ago, reports surfaced that FlyQuest and Golden Guardians were in the running to buy out Licorice, but both organizations unfortunately pulled out of the deal due to “budgetary concerns.” GGS had reportedly won the bid with a $1.75 million price, while FlyQuest had bid $1.5 million.
Licorice recently parted ways with C9, which had been his team since the end of 2017. The team decided to replace him with Academy top laner Fudge after an early exit from the 2020 Summer Split and ultimately failing to make the 2020 World Championship.
Before the disappointing summer performance, Licorice was finally able to win an LCS championship during the 2020 LCS Spring Split. It was one of the most dominant showings of any North American team, with C9 finishing the regular season with a 17-1 record.
Along with an LCS championship, Licorice also helped C9 reach the semifinals of Worlds 2018 through a tough group stage with Royal Never Give Up, Gen.G, and Team Vitality. They also took down Korea’s Afreeca Freecs before eventually dropping to Fnatic in the semifinals.
Up until now, Licorice has remained one of the best top laners in North America. He’s been consistent with his high-tier play and was named a First-Team All-Pro player this past split. The experienced player also led all LCS top laners in kills last split and was in the top three for damage in his role, according to Oracle’s Elixir.
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