Shopify Rebellion LCS 2024 Preview

How will Shopify fare in their first season in competitive League of Legends?

Shopify Rebellion is the newest LCS organization on the block. The organization recently purchased the LCS slot from the departing TSM. It will be retaining some of its players and staff as they look to set a solid foundation for their first year in competitive League of Legends. ESTNN will dive into the players they have kept from TSM and analyze the new players they have acquired ahead of the 2024 season.

Shopify's First LCS Roster

Starting with the top lane, Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell departs and incomes Aaron “FakeGod” Lee. FakeGod, similar to Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, went back into the NACL system, honed in on his skills, and became a much better player. FakeGod had a rough go at it (LCS) during his first stint; he admitted as such during our exclusive interview. FakeGod, during his time in the NACL, has been one of the best top laners in the league. The North American top laner played a significant role in helping Cloud9 and Disguised win both NACL splits last year. – Cloud9's NACL roster was picked up by Disguised following their departure from NA's developmental league.

Lee “Bugi” Seong-yeop is one of two returning TSM players from the 2023 lineup. Bugi had a solid debut year in the LCS and showcased his strengths and weaknesses. Bugi's statistics across the board in the Summer Split placed him in the middle of the pack. He would pop off in some games and be a complete non-factor in others. This could be partially down to his play style. Bugi was a gank-heavy jungler, as seen by his kill participation – the highest amongst his fellow Junglers. Bugi deserved another run in the LCS, and with David “Insanity” Challe by his side for another year, we should expect a much better version of Bugi this year.

Insanity remaining on the roster is the big coupe of the offseason for Shopify Rebellion. The North American Mid Laner showcased his talents on a roster with little going for them. Despite this, Insanity stood out and was one of the breakout players of the 2023 season, deserving a spot in the LCS. As mentioned above, stability is vital for a player's growth, and having his TSM jungle duo in Bugi should see the pair grow from strength to strength. Like Bugi, Insanity's statistics have him around the middle of the pack, a solid starting point for Shopify Rebellion.

The signing of Ju “Bvoy” Yeong-hoon is a headscratcher, given players such as Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes and Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen are on the market. On top of that, Shopify Rebellion still has Jason “WildTurtle” Tran signed to the organization – Turtle will be streaming for the organization for the 2024 LCS Spring Split. Bvoy has been floating around in the CBLoL and the LLA for the past few years on teams such as Estral Esports and paiN Gaming. It's important to note that Bvoy once played under the current Shopify head coach Seong “Reven” Sang-hyeon, on Estral Esports.

If a player ever needed to return to the LCS, it was Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam. Zeyzal is a stellar player who has been there and done it as far as competing for championships. On top of that, Zeyzal is part of LCS history, being part of the Cloud9 squad, the only North American roster to reach the semi-finals of a World Championship. It was terrific to see Zeyzal return to the LCS scene, rejoining Cloud9 as part of their challenger's roster, before being picked up by Disguised after Cloud9 left the scene. Zeyzal is a strong shot-caller and will give Shopify a solid foundation for their macro game.

Shopify Rebellion LCS 2024 Predictions

Like the TSM roster last year, Shopify Rebellion should be floating around mid-table, potentially taking a game or two off the best teams in the league during the regular season. One problem that plagued TSM's summer regular season placement was the introduction of Lee “Ruby” Sol-min. TSM went 0-3 when Ruby was on the team, and while it cannot solely be pinned on Ruby, having a player who may not start for very long can be detrimental to the team's standings. It is unclear why SR has WildTurtle waiting in the wings, but seeing him in the lineup before the end of the regular season wouldn't be a shock.

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