Alliance reveals its League of Legends roster, which will be taking the spot of Evil Geniuses in the Battle of the Atlantic. The roster includes Froggen, Wickd, Tabzz, Shook, and Kazmitch, who will be trying out for support.
It has been a long off-season of speculation and fantasy roster crafting for the European region. Two teams in particular have left the release of their rosters to the last minute. One such team, Alliance, is taking up the mantel of Evil Geniuses and has revealed their roster for the Battle of the Atlantic.
Alliance is an organization known for its participation in StarCraft II and Dota 2, and it has been shopping for League of Legends team for some time. They've decided on at least four members going into Season Four, and they've tentatively filled the support player slot.
Perhaps the most exciting pickup for Alliance is Froggen. Henrik "Froggen" Hansen has been a favorite mid laner since he joined Evil Geniuses, once known as CLG EU. His play was considered exceptional even when the rest of the team drew scrutiny. He will be joinging Alliance as the mid laner alongside his previous teammate, Mike "Wickd" Peterson in the top lane. Wickd has sometimes been criticized for his small champion pool, but he managed to improve his play throughout the Summer Split for Europe in Season Three.
Ilyas "Shook" Hartsema is another strong, albeit controversial, pickup. Sometimes credited for the success of the Copenhagen Wolves that qualified for the Spring Split in Season Three, Shook was often elevated as one of the strongest junglers in Europe. Due to toxic behavior, his accounts were banned and he was barred from competitive play until the beginning of November. Many guessed he would be looking for a team, and if his solo queue attitude has improved, he may be an asset for Alliance.
The final confirmed member for Alliance's new League of Legends team is Erik "Tabzz" van Helvert. During the European Summer Split, the Lemon Dogs became dominant with the acquisition of Mithy, and their bot lane was often considered one of the best in Europe. After CLG picked up Dexter1, Tabzz became the only remaining member of the Summer Split Lemondogs lineup. It seemed likely he would be picked up by Alliance, and time will tell if he can perform as well without Mithy.
Alliance has also selected Martin "Kazmitch" Hamal?ík to play support during the Battle of the Atlantic tournament between North America and Europe. Kazmitch is the only member who has yet to play on an LCS team, and it seems Alliance wishes to test his mettle before making him a permanent addition.
Froggen expressed his pleasure upon being selected by Alliance in the announcement. For now, he wants the team to focus on the faceoff with Dignitas in the Battle of the Atlantic, but he has loftier goals.
We will look to be a top team in to EU LCS, and ultimately our goal is to qualify for the Season 4 World Championships.
—Henrik "Froggen" Hansen
Time will tell if Alliance's League of Legends team shows up at the Season Four World Championships, but you can watch them this weekend at the Battle of the Atlantic. Their match is the first of the event at 18:00 CET.
[A]lliance Roster
Mike "Wickd" Petersen - Top
Ilyas "Shook_L2" Hartsema - Jungler
Henrick "Froggen" Hansen - Mid
Erik "Tabzz" Helvert - Marksman
Martin "Kazmitch" Hamal?ík - Support
Source: Alliance
