The Oceanic League of Legends scene has seen a massive change over the 2020 offseason.
Many of the top players have found starring roles overseas in both North America and Europe, as coaches and players. From k1ng to Destiny, Fudge to Spookz, they’ve left behind huge legacies in the region, with many players ambitious to fill their shoes.
OPL Split 1 2020 will be chaotic as we watch every team find their synergy after huge roster shakeups all across the board. With plenty of new faces, as well as veterans having to step it up, let’s check out the five players you should be watching when the games kick off on January 31.
Having placed near the top of every OPL split in recent years, Quin ‘Raes’ Korebrits understands just how elusive the OPL title can be. He is a veteran in the Oceanic scene, and has an OPL title and international experience under his belt. He’s played on his previous team, the Chiefs Esports Club, for 4 years. This year however – he’s made the leap over to Legacy Esports.
With the great migration of OPL talent in the off season, Raes is poised to take the top ADC spot in the league. He’s a consistent performer, having placed with his team at least second in the regular split since 2017.
This year is marking a huge change for Raes, as he is playing with a new group of players that he hasn’t had experience with. Joining him in the bot lane is Jonah ‘Isles’ Rosario, who is an exciting new rookie joining the OPL. This will prove to be an exciting, aggressive bot lane to verse, and it will be up to the other teams to catch them.
Raes is definitely one to watch this split as he dominates the league, alongside his new team on the Legacy Esports roster.
Harry ‘Haeri’ Kang is the mid laner of the new Order roster after Simon ‘Swiffer’ Papamarkos’ departure to Excel Esports in Europe. He comes from the embattled Gravitas with two years of OPL experience, and is looking to step up onto a roster packed with top-tier Oceanic talent.
Haeri initially had trouble finding his feet in 2019, but as the year progressed, it was clear that he was improving and growing with every match. He’s got a wide champion pool, has the potential to put a team on his back, and plays well right into the late game.
Now with such a strong, experienced team around him, it’s time for Haeri to unleash his full potential on the OPL.
Last year, Jake ‘Rogue’ Sharwood made his mark on the Oceanic scene. Joining a new super team and claiming his first OPL win cemented his place in the top of the Supports.
This year brings more change for Rogue, as he’s joined Pentanet.GG in their inaugural OPL split. There’s also change to his team mate in the bottom lane – Joining him on Pentanet is Mark ‘Praedyth’ Lewis. This bottom lane duo has the potential to make a huge mark in the Oceanic scene, and with so much talent moving overseas, it’s time for them to prove their worth.
Rogue has a wealth of competitive experience, and this will give him an edge over his other opponents. With a first place under his belt, he’ll be chasing the rush of the win again. Rogue is well poised to do it this year, with a new team with some experienced players.
Sources have told Snowball that Rogue is doing very well headed into this split. Watch out for the ferocious Pentanet bottom lane, as Rogue leads the charge and attempts to put another win on his resume.
Gravitas have had almost a full roster shakeup after last year. Retaining jungler Jordan ‘Praelus’ Fernandes, they’ve built a team of fresh faces around him, and it’ll be up to him to make them shine.
With four years experience across five teams, more than doubling the collective experience of the rest of his team, he will have to quickly shift into a leadership role for the team. It’s hard to predict how the players will synergise and play together on the OPL stage, but regardless of how they perform, Praelus will be central to all discussions about Gravitas in 2020.
If Praelus can step up, take charge, and shape the new OPL starters into a force to be reckoned with, Gravitas might have a chance at exceeding everyone’s wildest expectations.
Romeo ‘Thien’ Tran has titanic shoes to fill in the Chiefs top lane. Last split, he played a rotating top role with Brandon ‘Swip3rR’ Holland (now with ORDER), as well as helping the Chiefs Academy roster almost secure a spot in the OCS playoffs.
When Thien came into the main roster, he flexed his muscles on skill-centric champions like Riven and Aatrox, styling on almost everyone in the OPL. He was a consistent performer, and slotted right into Swip3rR’s shoes in the few games he did appear.
As he adjusts to a full-time starting role, Thien will have to keep those performances up across a 21-game split, and prove himself as an OPL-ready top laner for the years to come.
Between fresh faces and a variety of established talent, it’s going to be an exciting split to see them all mesh together as the OPL enters a new era. While all 40 starters are as deserving of praise as one another, these five faces will be key in the fight on the Rift as they look to climb to the top and claim the title for themselves.
The Oceanic Pro League returns on January 31.
