NRG Esports Qualify For LoL World Championship 2023

NRG Esports re-entered the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) at the start of the LCS 2023 Summer split following Counter Logic Gaming's withdrawal from the North American LoL esports scene. For its first season back in the LCS, NRG Esports made a couple of roster changes but kept the former CLG core of Niship "Dhokla" Doshi, Juan Arturo "Contractz" Garcia, and Cristian "Palafox" Palafox intact, betting on the pre-established top-jungle-mid synergy.

However, considering CLG's lack of success in the first split of the LCS season, many doubted the NRG project, billing the team as one of the weakest heading into the LCS 2023 Summer. And yet, NRG Esports proved all the doubters wrong.

In the LCS 2023 Summer regular season, NRG Esports held their own and finished the split in fifth place with a 9-9 record, which secured them an upper bracket seed for the LCS 2023 Championship. However, their Cinderella Story didn't stop there.

In the opening round of the LCS 2023 Championship, NRG Esports upset Team Liquid (3-1), and on Sunday, added an even bigger upset win over the LCS 2023 Spring Playoffs finalists, Golden Guardians.

NRG Esports defeated the LCS' Mid-Season Invitational representatives 3-1, shaking up the balance of power in the LCS but, most importantly, earning themselves a ticket for the League of Legends World Championship 2023.

NRG's jungler Juan Arturo "Contractz" Garcia, was the main reason for his team's remarkable success, leading his team to victory with a 17/8/38 record over the four maps, which earned him the series MVP reward.

By beating Golden Guardians, Contractz will return to the LoL Worlds for the first time since 2017, when he helped Cloud9 reach the quarter-finals of the season-culminating tournament. For his teammate, Ian Victor "FBI" Huang, LoL Worlds 2023 will mark his third consecutive appearance at the international tournament and for the support Lee "IgNar" Dong-geun his third and first since 2020.

Dhokla and Palafox will make their LoL Worlds debut in Busan later this year, marking a huge accomplishment for both players, especially Palafox, who debuted in the LCS in 2022.

Despite qualifying for the LoL World Championship 2023, NRG Esports' job is far from done. The team still has to play Cloud9 in the upper bracket finals for a ticket leading into the LCS 2023 Championship. The match is scheduled for Saturday, August 12.

League of Legends World Championship 2023 is set to kick off on October 10, with the first round of the Play-In stage. The tournament will return to South Korea for the first time since 2018, welcoming the world’s best 22 LoL esports teams vying for the coveted Summoner’s Cup.

As of now, there are just five teams with a guaranteed spot at the season-culminating tournament, Including Cloud9 and NRG Esports from LCS, and JD Gaming, Bilibili Gaming, and LNG Esports from LoL Pro League (LPL).