Team Coast, a team that qualified into the NA LCS through promotion games, sells their seat to the newly formed NRG eSports.
In a Facebook post, Team Coast announced the official sale of their NA LCS spot to Gerard "Atlas" Kelly, formerly of Team Imagine, and both Andy Miller and Mark Mastrov, two of the owners of the NBA team Sacramento Kings. The owners have stated that they will compete with a team named, "NRG eSports." The price of the LCS seat was not revealed to the public, but what is known to us is the fact that the team will feature three Korean individuals playing for the newly created NRG eSports.
LCK team Jin Air Green Wings featured one of the most hyped players during the LCK Regionals. He was mid-laner ChangSeok "GBM" Lee. Rumors were creeping through Reddit about how he would join an NA LCS team. As it turns out, GBM signed with NRG eSports to show that he is a new mid-laner to be feared in the NA region.
He will be joined by fellow Korean players Eon-yeong "Impact" Jung, formerly of Team Impulse, and Kevin "KonKwon" Kwon, a member of the original Team Coast lineup that initally qualified for the NA LCS by beating Enemy eSports in the Promotional Tournament. Their team will also be rounded out by jungler Galen "Moon" Holgate, formerly of the Challenger team Team Imagine, and an AD carry to be announced later on their official website.
Not only is the player roster of the newly formed NRG looking incredibly formidable, but the team looks to have a very strong support staff behind them as well. Former Cloud 9 coach Charlie Lipsie will be taking on the Head Coach position with former Origen coach Tadayoshi "Hermit" Littleton backing him up in the Strategic Coach position. Helming the organization as General Manager will be Chad "HISTORY TEACHER" Smeltz, the former head coach of Immortals/Team 8.
It is a little unclear what will happen to the rest of the original crew of Team Coast. The company has stated that it is looking to invest in a new Challenger team. But, with a truly stacked lineup on both the player end and in terms of infrastructure, the newly formed NRG eSports is looking to truly make an impact in the sea of both new and old NA LCS teams and become a dominating force in the region.
