A last-minute change to a roster in the LCS is filling the modern North American scene with even more tenured talent from throughout the history of professional League of Legends.
Prior to the start of the second day of week eight of the 2023 LCS Spring Split, TSM announced that veteran player and current TSM Challengers top laner Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell will be starting for the main roster in today’s game against Dignitas. While the LCS team have had their ups and downs throughout the split, they have not yet qualified for the Spring Playoffs bracket, with only today and tomorrow left to turn their luck around.
Hauntzer has been a part of TSM as an organization for more than half of his professional career. He first joined the roster in late 2015 for the 2016 Spring Split, where he sought to make an immediate impact alongside fellow notable names such as Bjergsen and Doublelift—then going on to win a title with the org that summer. He has since competed alongside Golden Guardians and TSM Academy, now serving as the organization’s Challengers League top laner.
This is the first time that Hauntzer and WildTurtle, former teammates on TSM recognized as some of the most renowned players in the history of the LCS, have competed alongside one another since April 2017. Since then, the paths of the two players have split, with both venturing in and out of the LCS main stage and Academy circuits.
This follows a crushing defeat that TSM suffered at the hands of 100 Thieves yesterday, having nearly complete control of the early game but losing their synergy as the game progressed. Though mid laner Maple had a stellar performance on Aurelion Sol, only WildTurtle served as the team’s other source of damage, with Solo, Bugi, and Chime ending with negative KDAs.
It is unclear if TSM will keep Haunzter as its active LCS top laner tomorrow on the final day of the regular season before the playoffs begin.
