North American League Championship Series side Enemy Esports is bolstering itself ahead of its battle to stay in the LCS, bringing in former Copenhagen Wolves top lane player Joey “Youngbuck” Steltenpool. But that doesn’t mean current top laner Cuong “Flaresz” Ta is at risk of losing his starting position. Steltenpool is joining as a coach.
Enemy Esports entered the NA LCS by winning the first ever automatic promotion spot after defeating Team Dragon Knights in the NA Challenger Series Spring Playoffs final. Despite wins in their opening two weeks, Enemy went on to only pick up two more victories in the remaining seven weeks, avoiding automatic relegation by one victory.
Steltenpool on the other hand had perhaps an even more disappointing split with Copenhagen Wolves. After details regarding the organization’s plans to switch up the roster after the split emerged, Steltenpool decided to leave the team after week five.
Enemy Esports Co-owner Dan “Clerkie” Clerke said that the team was “extremely excited” about the move. “It’s going to be great to have a seasoned LCS veteran at the helm of a young team” he said. “Relegations is in a month and we would like to assure our fans that we are making the moves necessary to give us the best chance at keeping our spot going into the Spring 2016 Split.”
As for Steltenpool, he said that he’s “had a passion for leading a coaching for a long time.”
“I think the time is right for me to prove to myself whether I am capable of coaching a LCS team,” he said. “Enemy was my team of choice because of the friendly environment and because I can relate to their position and the struggles that come with it”
Enemy Esports will face off against one of the North American Challenger Series teams in a best-of-five to decide who will qualify for the NA LCS.
