100 Thieves sign top laner Ssumday to replace Tenacity, adding Quin and Cain ahead of the 2023 LCS Summer Split

100 Thieves are taking the T1 approach when building their LCS roster for the 2023 LCS Summer Split. Not only are they importing a Korean mid laner alongside their new Korean head coach, but they are also embracing youth. Will it be enough to push them back into the LCS elite?

Cain is the new head coach for 100 Thieves LCS roster

With Bjergsen retiring, 100 Thieves had holes to fill. They finished in a 3-way tie for third place during the spring split. But their playoff performance was uninspiring. Getting bounced in the first round of both the upper and lower bracket meant that this team didn’t have a high ceiling. With Bjergsen moving away from esports, and 100 Thieves having no games from the end of March till the first of June due to LoL MSI 2023 , it was time for a bootcamp. The entire 100 Thieves roster went to Korea for boot camp, apart from top laner Tenacity. While Tenacity was in Europe, reports came out that Cain had agreed to become the head coach for the 100 Thieves LCS roster.

Cain is a former player who came to the United States in early 2017 and found great success. He was an instrumental piece in those glorious Team Liquid teams from 2017 to 2020 when Jatt became the head coach. Doublelift has publicly raved about Cain, calling him the most professional and knowledgeable head coach he has ever worked with. They won 5 LCS titles together, and Cain even gave Team Liquid another one with Tactical replacing Doublelift. Cain spent the 2022 season with Kwangdong Freecs, never managing to escape the bottom half of the LCK standings. Maybe going back to the LCS and reuniting with a fairly old friend in Doublelift is just what he needs.

It all starts with the Head Coach.

Please welcome Cain to the forefront of our 2023 LCS Roster. pic.twitter.com/Ny5sw1jIfb

— 100 Thieves VALORANT (@100T_VAL) May 9, 2023

100 Thieves sign Gen G mid-laner Quid to replace Bjergsen

Importing young prodigies from the LCK Challengers ecosystem seems to be the new norm. Europe has been doing it in the ERL’s, and even LEC teams are getting involved. Now, it looks like 100 Thieves got more out of Korea than a new head coach and solid practice. Gen G Academy mid-laner Quid has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with 100 Thieves to become their new starting mid-laner. Quid slots in the hole left by Bjergsen’s departure, and at just 19 years old, there seems to be a lot of potential in him. He takes up the second import slot alongside jungler Closer, which limits what 100 Thieves can do with the rest of the roster.

Top laner Ssumday will return to 100 Thieves and replace Tenacity

It seems that another young prodigy in top laner Tenacity will take the fall. Despite having a solid split as a rookie thrusted into a pressure-packed win now situation, Tenacity is getting replaced. By none other than 100 Thieves legend Ssumday. Ssumday left the organization in the offseason to join Evil Geniuses, and even had his jersey retired by 100 Thieves. But just a few months later, he is back on the roster. Evil Geniuses blew up their roster due to a lack of financial liquidity, and everyone apart from mid-laner Jojopyun was a free agent.

The move is a head-scratcher considering how much time 100 Thieves have invested in Tenacity by developing him in the NACL system. Ssumday originates from Korea but has USA citizenship, so he doesn’t take up an import slot. The only logical explanation is that the organization is bringing Ssumday back for his leadership, and to help Quid get acclimated to the LCS and living in the USA.