After grabbing a spot in the brand-new League of Legends European Championships, EXCEL Esports will be sporting some new colors in 2019. One of the newest additions to the LEC is going through a big rebrand.
↖️ EXCEL
Introducing our 2019 rebrand ahead of the upcoming #LEC season pic.twitter.com/vz9zOFFHI0
— EXCEL (@EXCEL) January 6, 2019
The British esports organization has been in the League of Legends scene since 2015. However, this is their first foray into the EU LCS, now known as LEC. They would announce their rebranding over Twitter, first by showing their past logos and color schemes. Afterward, they would reveal their new colors to the world. The new branding includes a new logo, which is an abstract arrow pointing up. Their colors are now blue, white and orange, which is a change from their original orange and gray. They are also sporting brand new graphics and new hashtag, #ThriveTogether.
EXCEL: Old Guard, New Blood
It looks like with a new beginning includes a big facelift of the brand. EXCEL Esports was announced alongside the two other new organizations joining the LEC, SK Gaming and Rogue. Additionally, they have acquired a brand new roster as well. The team is boasting a lineup with veterans, such as Raymond “kaSing” Tsang, Marc “Caedrel” Robert Lamont and Ki “Expect” Dae-han. They also have former Unicorns of Love mid laner, Fabian “Exileh” Schubert on the lineup. Finally, they are introducing 18-year-old Swedish ADC, Jesper “Jeskla” Klarin Strömberg, to the league.
As for their coaching staff, they have Josh “Furndog” Furneaux at the helm as head coach. Previously, he was the head coach of G2 Esports’ Spanish division, G2 Vodafone. In fact, he would split time between both EXCEL Esports and G2 Vodafone from June 2016. He also had a brief stint with Beşiktaş Esports over in Turkey. EXCEL Esports also brought over a familiar face to the LCS scene, Joshua “Jarge” Smith. Jarge has spent time as a strategic coach with Team Solo Mid and Team Liquid over in North America, before heading over to Europe. EXCEL was also confirmed to be running a ten-man roster this year, with a bench of young, up and coming talent.
The Future is Bright
Along with EXCEL Esports, the decision to franchise the league has brought so many new talents to the LEC. For example, FC Schalke 04 is bringing in Felix “Abbedagge” Braun, a young new mid laner. Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek is coming in as the new mid laner for Fnatic after the departure of superstar, Rasmus “Caps” Winther. Marek “Humanoid” Brázda is now the newest mid laner for Splyce. It is an exciting time to be a European League of Legends fan, with all the roster movement. There are new superteams, fiery new rookies, and underdogs that could steal our hearts this coming LEC season.
EXCEL has the potential to be a great team this season if the cards fall right. They will need to rely on their veteran presence, as well as their rookie ADC. Exileh may also need to have a breakout season this year, even though she showed some flashes of greatness back with UOL.
What are your thoughts on EXCEL Esports and their rebrand? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more League of Legends coverage, check us out here!
Published: Jan 6, 2019 11:08 pm