Team Liquid brings back Piglet, completing 2017 roster

North American esports organization Team Liquid has announced its League of Legends roster for the 2017 season, with one big surprise: the re-addition of AD Carry Gwang-jin “Piglet” Chae, who left the team to return to Korea in August. The new roster will compete at IEM Gyeonggi this week.

Piglet first joined the organization in October 2014, when it was known as Team Curse. He had won the Season 3 World Championship with SK Telecom T1 K, and was released from the team after it failed to qualify for Worlds the following year. After a season-and-a-half of strong individual play with a rotating pool of supports saw mixed success as a team and clashes with jungler Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett, Piglet was demoted to Team Liquid’s Challenger Series team, Team Liquid Academy. After pretty much everyone assumed he’d be leaving the organization and probably the region, now he’s back with the main squad.

Piglet is one of four Team Liquid starters who were a part of the organization in 2016, including returning starters in the top lane (Samson “Lourlo” Jackson) and support (Matt Elento). Team Liquid has also promoted Team Liquid Academy starting mid laner Greyson “Goldenglue” Gilmer to the starting LCS roster. Goldenglue has made multiple spot LCS appearances for Dignitas, Team8 and Echo Fox and was once the No. 1 player on the NA solo queue ladder.

The big addition to the team, however, comes in the confirmation of new jungler and former NA LCS MVP Yeu-jin “Reignover” Kim, after a year spent with Immortals. Reignover was the best jungler in North America over the course of 2016, and will be replacing former NA LCS Rookie of the Split Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett.

Team Liquid had a rough 2016, finishing in fourth place in the Spring and getting knocked out of the quarterfinals in the Summer playoffs, missing out on Worlds qualification after a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Team Envy in the Regional Qualifers. But Team Liquid now has a big investment group behind it, a new coach in former TLA coach David Lim and a fresh new roster. Here’s the starting lineup TL will take into 2017:

• Top: Samson “Lourlo” Jackson
• Jungle: Yeu-jin “Reignover” Kim
• Mid: Greyson “Goldenglue” Gilmer
• ADC: Gwang-jin “Piglet” Chae
• Support: Matt Elento