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After a streak of disappointing results in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) 2021 Summer, Counter Logic Gaming decided to make changes to their roster. As announced on Tuesday, July 13, the team will continue with Tanner “Damonte” Damonte as their new starting mid lane.
Counter Logic Gaming’s Struggles
To say Counter Logic Gaming have been struggling in 2021 would be an understatement. The team is at a 10-26 overall record and have managed only five wins (5-13) on the summer season.
Although no one expected CLG to dominate the league nor compete for a top-table finish, their results have been disappointing, to say the least. CLG started the LCS 2021 Summer split with a 1-5 run, managing only one win across the opening two weeks.
The boys in blue showed some life during LCS 2021 Summer Week 3 when they put together a 3-0 run. However, they soon returned to their old ways and went 1-8 across the next three competitive weeks.
With a 10-26 record on the 2021 season, CLG are tied last with Golden Guardians in ninth place. They’re two wins short of catching up to Immortals and securing the final spot in the 2021 LCS Championship.
Like any other LoL esports team, CLG looked towards making roster changes in a bid to improve their chances. Although making roster changes isn’t that shocking, CLG found themselves under fire for announcing theirs.
In a now-deleted Tweet from the organization, CLG posted a video of a private meeting where CLG’s general manager revealed to their players that roster changes are happening. This led to a massive backlash from the esports community, criticizing CLG’s lack of professionalism by making the private meeting public.
After the dust has settled, CLG came out with the announcement, unveiling Damonte as their new mid laner. The former 100 Thieves player will take over for Eugene “Pobelter” Park, who has been moved to the bench.
Damonte’s Chance For Redemption
Damonte is a well-known name in the North American LoL esports scene. He has been a part of five LCS teams throughout his career but hadn’t spent more than one split with any of them.
Damonte first made a name for himself at Echo Fox in 2017, where he played between May 2017 – November 2018. He later joined Clutch Gaming, which he led to the 2019 LoL World Championship, before leaving for Dignitas in October 2019.
Damonte’s stint with Dignitas was rather short-lived, as he got benched only three weeks after signing the contract. He last played for Dignitas Academy team before getting picked up by Golden Guardians for the 2020 LCS Summer season.
With Golden Guardians, Damonte finished fifth in the regular season and nearly eliminated TSM from the playoffs (2-3). The team ended the season in fifth place and sold their roster to 100 Thieves for the 2021 season.
As a member of 100 Thieves, Damonte finished top-four in the LCS 2021 Lock-In tournament. However, 100T struggled to deliver and finished the LCS 2021 Spring in fourth despite their early success.
That led to roster changes, with Damote getting demoted to the academy team, where he spent the next two months. The North American mid laner eventually left the organization in May 2021 and was a free agent since.
The 23-year-old will now have another shot at proving himself as a player. As a member of several LCS teams throughout his career, Damonte has struggled to find a place to call home, which he hopes will change at CLG.
CLG Hoping For A Fresh Start Against Team Liquid
Damonte will make his debut on Friday, July 16, when Counter Logic Gaming take on Team Liquid. It will mark the fifth meeting between these two LCS esports teams, with Liquid holding a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head.
Odds for Counter Logic Gaming vs. Team Liquid Match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- Team Liquid -333
- Counter Logic Gaming +234
- Team Liquid -6.5 Kills -133
- Counter Logic Gaming +6.5 Kills -102
- Over 25.5 Kills +100
- Under 25.5 Kills -135
Team Liquid haven’t had the most impressive run through the LCS 2021 Summer season, yet they still enter this match as the favorites. The esports bookmakers have them priced as -333 favorites, which primarily has to do with CLG’s poor form.
Will CLG manage to improve with a new mid laner is anyone’s guess. However, we can be sure that CLG will look entirely different with a new shot caller on the team.