NRG eSports is also a new team this season and was able to secure a slot in the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split after buying the slot previously held by Team Coast. Two of the three founders of the team are NBA team Sacramento co-owners, Andy Miller and Mark Mastrov, making this team comparable to Echo Fox, another debuting team owned by three-time NBA champion Rick Fox. The pattern shows that athletes from a different sport field are seeing the growth in eSports gaming and are fearlessly investing.
The Team has a decent line-up and has initially been pegged by experts to come at par with TSM, another North American team. NRG is a combination of Korean and North American talents, and while other western teams are pulling Koreans that are already well-versed in the English language so as to minimize the language gap, NRG took on the challenge and signed up Lee "GBM" Chang-seok from South Korea to be the team's mid lane summoner. NRG management believes that his lack in English skills can be well compensated by his experience and strengths as one of the top mid laners in the league.
Of course, the team still found a way to make it through the language barrier, all thanks to rookie support Kevin "KonKwon" Kwon, who is much fluent in both English and Korean and is going to serve as the team's language bridge, apart from making a name for himself at his first ever LCS stint.
Veteran and former LCK player Eon-young "Impact" Jeong is also part of the line up, as the team's top lane player; and roaming the jungle and initiating ganks will be Galen "Moon" Holgate.
The team had a minor setback when it announced after week six in the competition that its AD Carry, NA local talent Jonny "Altec" Ru, will be leaving the team due to personal matters. He was replaced by Benjamin "LOD" Demunck from Ember. Nothing more was ever revealed about his decision to leave the team.
Thankfully, the AD Carry was only able to miss matches during week seven, as he was able to come back for week eight. Now, the team is again complete to continue the battle for a place at the playoffs.
The team has to at least maintain its current standing and not allow other teams to outperform them so that they do not lose the fifth or sixth place in the playoffs that they currently hold with Team Liquid. This is going to be difficult for NRG, considering that the remaining matches they have to face are with Team Liquid, Immortals, Team SoloMid and Counter-Logic Gaming.
Witness NRG battle it out on the rift for a spot at the playoffs via live stream here.
