Sneaky admits he’s ready for LCS return but needs “right team” in 2021
Riot GamesTwo-time League of Legends champ Zachary ‘Sneaky’ Scuderi has admitted he is “looking for a new LCS team” to join in 2021, after being dropped by Cloud9 heading into 2020 Spring in favor of Danish carry Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen.
Sneaky was one of the longest-standing veterans in the North American league, winning two LCS titles back in 2013 and 2014 and representing the Championship Series a record seven times at the Riot-hosted World Championship.
Heading into 2020, however, Cloud9 dropped the 26-year-old star in a partial roster overhaul for Spring. Sneaky had played more than 330 matches for the legacy org over his seven-year career. He decided to take a break after being dropped.
The North American star is now ready to return in 2021, and step back from his heavy Twitch streaming schedule once more. It has to be with the “right team” though, Sneaky admitted to LCS insider Travis Gafford on August 10.
“I think I will be more actively looking for a pro play opportunity coming up next year,” the NA star confirmed. “If I don’t find the right one I won’t [return] though. Next year I’ll look, but not 100%. Maybe nobody wants me!”
Riot GamesSneaky nearly returned in Spring
The seven-time Worlds representative revealed he “could have returned in Spring,” but knew he would have to “win right away” or be blamed for Cloud9’s 2019 struggles. To add to that, his former org went on to win the Spring championship, breaking a five-year title drought.
“If I joined last Spring I would need something like that [winning immediately]. If I did join in Spring there would have been a lot of pressure on me, or people would have said stuff like ‘Sneaky was the problem’,” the 26-year-old explained.
“Who would I have joined too, Dignitas? That would have been me, I wouldn’t have fixed that! I could help. Maybe we would have got a few more wins, but it wouldn’t have changed all that much in terms of placing for the team, realistically.
“I had some offers last Spring, but not really anything for Summer. Some of the teams were looking, apparently, but nothing really came of it so I took time off.”
The related segment begins at 3:56 in the video below.
Where could Sneaky land in LCS return?
There are a few places Sneaky could land if he does pull off a successful return to the pro scene in 2021. First off the bat are Counter Logic Gaming and Immortals, both of whom just missed Summer playoffs with 5–13 and 4–14 records.
Sneaky admitted he probably wouldn’t come back if it was for a “struggling team,” however, which rules those two rosters out. Instead, he may slot into a squad like Evil Geniuses or 100 Thieves. Both could use veteran talent to push into the top spots.
He would also, of course, sign up for a team like FlyQuest, or his old organization Cloud9. His return doesn’t necessarily have to be to a championship contender heading into 2021 either.
“That’s what I was saying, before it needed to be someone that would do really well, but now it’s okay. I still won’t join a bottom feeder roster… but middle of the pack isn’t bad,” he said. “If I do join a team we’ll have time to work.”
Riot GamesThe LCS Playoffs begin this weekend, with eight of the ten Summer orgs now contesting the second 2020 trophy. The upper-bracket round begins with Team SoloMid (12–6) against the Golden Guardians (9–9) on Saturday afternoon.