A rare cross-Atlantic League of Legends trade occurred Thursday between Rogue of the LEC and FlyQuest of the LCS. Rogue traded Kim “Wadid” Bae-in to FlyQuest for Marcin “Selfie” Wolski.
Rogue
Rogue finished last in the LEC Spring split and quickly decided change needed to be made. They released jungler Mateusz “Kikis” Szkudlarek to start May, shocking most of the community. Last week mid laner Chres “Sencux” Laursen was released as well. These changes seemed rash, but there appears to be a method to the madness. Sencux was arguably the worst starting mid laner in the league. Kikis was also one of the lesser junglers in the LEC. With this in mind, they combined for over 50 percent of kills by Rogue in spring. Combine all of this, and you can imagine why Rogue finished in last. Wadid was benched after Week 6, replaced by Vander in the starting roster.
Overall, this trade was fairly beneficial for Rogue. They have hyped mid laner Emil “Larssen” Larsson and jungler Kacper “Inspired” SÅ‚oma ready to be called up from their Academy roster. Selfie will add depth to a team needing a backup plan if Larssen doesn’t pan out as expected. Wadid was benched from both Rogue and their Academy team, so they gained a solid depth piece for next to no loss. They still have plenty left to do, namely, address the bottom lane. HeaQ was the worst ADC in the LEC by leaps and bounds, and there is no guarantee they will win the Forg1ven sweepstakes. Selfie is a good start, but more moves need to be made.
FlyQuest
Please join us in welcoming @WadidXD to FlyQuest! In acquiring him, we have traded @SelfieMid to @Rogue. pic.twitter.com/nhi72vlH6x
— FlyQuest (@FlyQuest) May 16, 2019
FlyQuest didn’t exactly have to make this move, but it gives the organization a good look. This move shows they are not content with anything less than being the best. During the final 10 games of Academy Spring, FQA lost seven games, in which Selfie underperformed significantly. Starting support Juan “JayJ” Guibert is a solid NA talent who will likely retain his spot, but Wadid can still contribute. As a former Worlds Semifinalist, he brings a veteran presence to FlyQuest Academy. The team will need to bring in a new mid laner, likely one of the NA prospects. For a mostly inexperienced Academy roster and a potential rookie, Wadid can mentor the group with his five splits of LCS-level experience. All in all, FlyQuest benefit from this trade and get to shed Selfie’s contract, which was likely larger than Wadid’s.
What does it mean?
In terms of the LCS or LEC, this trade likely won’t mean much for either team. It is more of an Academy deal than anything else. Both players might start, but they likely will not see starting jobs in summer.
