Four-time champion top laner Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland is set to join Order ahead of OPL 2020 Split 1, league sources have told Snowball Esports.
Holland captained the Chiefs during his tenure with the organisation, and is expected to take on a similar role in Melbourne with Order, commanding the roster from the top lane as they seek to return to the Oceanic Pro League grand final.
The former Chiefs star also took the time to have a bit of playful fun with his fans after first announcing he would be departing his old organisation on November 25.
“Hey Carlos, thanks heaps for the opportunity, I’ll see you soon,” Swip3rR wrote on Twitter, pretending to write a letter to G2 Esports’ owner Carlos “Ocelote” Santiago as he jetted towards Germany.
Hey @CarlosR thanks heaps for the opportunity, I'll see you soon.
— Swip3rR (@Swip3rR) November 28, 2019
The Armoured Titan.#OPLTRADES pic.twitter.com/mQTSzDjWuI
Swip3rR’s southern move marks a major change for the 25-year-old, who competed for the legacy Australian esports organisation for five and a half years after originally joining the Chiefs in August 2014, ahead of Logitech CGPL Season 2 Winter.
The Armoured Titan signed with the Chiefs alongside the rest of the Team Immunity roster, which included two of Order’s previous franchise players in Simon “Swiffer” Papamarkos and Samuel “Spookz” Broadley. They departed the roster in 2017.
The Melbourne organisation is currently undergoing a major roster overhaul, similarly to many Oceanic Pro League teams ahead of the 2020 season, with Swip3rR’s signing all but confirming James “Tally” Shute is also on the move.
There has yet been no confirmation whether Holland will be re-joining his former Chiefs teammates Spookz and Swiffer for the upcoming campaign, but rumours have suggested both veteran stars will be finding other homes in Australia or abroad.
Order has boasted decent success in Australia and New Zealand’s premier League of Legends competition since joining two years ago, appearing in the 2019 Split 1 grand final opposite eventual champions the Bombers.
The Melbourne organisation has already cemented themselves in the league’s folklore, overthrowing Sin Gaming’s miracle gauntlet campaign with their own unstoppable run in the first season of this year. The team defeated Mammoth, Avant Gaming, and the Chiefs on the way to the decider, winning nine of ten playoff games in the process.
The Oceanic Pro League is expected to return in January 2020, and will include at least one new organisation after Essendon sold their league slot to Perth-based esports start-up Pentanet.GG. Pentanet will be helmed by games media personality Pete Curulli.
