- Eric ‘Licorice’ Ritchie was part of C9’s Challenger squad before going to eUnited
- There was reportedly a contract stipulation depending on their LCS qualification
- The transfer window for LCS players is a new feature, and will begin on Tuesday
Esports organisation Cloud9 will reportedly acquire the contract rights to League of Legends top laner Eric ‘Licorice’ Ritchie from eUnited.
This means Licorice could be going back to the team whose Challenger roster he was a part of before he signed for eUnited in December 2016.
This is according to a report from ESPN, which says the deal included an agreement that Cloud9 would have first rights to buy back Licorice if eUnited didn’t qualify for the NA LCS this year.
Eric ‘Licorice’ Ritchie has made a name for himself as one of the best Challenger top laners
eUnited bought out Licorice’s contract, as well as Team Liquid Academy’s Challenger Series spot last year.
The team failed to progress through the promotion tournament twice though, and unsurprisingly, has not been granted one of the new franchise spots for the NA LCS next year.
A spot in the NA LCS costs at least $13 million (£9.8 million) for new teams.
ESPN’s sources say that Cloud9 is now working to bring Licorice back to their roster, although the team has declined to comment at this time.
Licorice has become known as a highly skilled top laner, one of the best in the Challenger Series, and he will be expected to perform well in the LCS.
His talent will be particularly coveted as a native North American.
Cloud9 will reportedly acquire the rights to Licorice’s contract for the next season of the LCS
The new transfer window for LCS players will open next week on November 21, when the deal is expected to be finalised. The window is designed for players at teams who have not gained a franchise spot.
Cloud9’s current top laner, Jung ‘Impact’ Eon-yeong is expected to be courted by other teams during his free agency, which will begin when his contract expires on November 20.
C9 also have a back up top laner in Jeon ‘Ray’ Ji-won, and his future is currently unannounced.
The rest of the Cloud9 team have contracts which extend at least until the end of the 2018 season.
The team performed fairly well at the World Championship, as the only North American team to make it out of the group stage.