Dignitas grabs ZionSpartan and Shiphtur

By Helmight

According to LoLEsports.com,  Dignitas has just signed Shiphtur and ZionSpartan away from Team Coast in a surprising move. David Slan, the coach and general manager for Coast, has said "Rather than have these two guys miss the Summer LCS Split, we made the decision to allow ZionSpartan and Shiphtur to be acquired by Team Dignitas." This is something I don't think any of us saw coming. Shiphtur and ZionSpartan are not only regarded as the best players on Coast, but also some of the best players in the LCS. So, what does this mean for both rosters now?

For Dignitas, the acquisitions are huge. Scarra's retirement meant that they were down one of their best players and Goldenglue wasn't nearly strong enough to compete at a professional level, let alone fill Scarra's shoes. Meanwhile, Cruzerthebruzer has left a lot to be desired in the toplane, managing to not die too often but also accomplishing nothing substantial for his team either. Though Dignitas did quite well for themselves early in the season, they were unable to keep pace with Team SoloMid and Cloud 9 and eventually fell into a solid fourth place - decent, yes, but not where they wanted to be.

With the addition of Coast's stars, Dignitas now has the shot of talent they need to come back swinging for the Summer Split. If ZionSpartan and Shiphtur are able to synergize well with the rest of Dig's roster, I wouldn't be surprised to see them stealing third place away from Counter-Logic Gaming.

Meanwhile, Coast is in a bit of a strange spot now, having signed away their two best players. It's no secret that their solo laners were the key to Coast's success for much of this season, and with their departure Coast is left with a lackluster bottom lane and jungler. Even if they manage to acquire players that synergize well with the rest of the team, I'm doubtful of Coast's chances to make it back to the LCS. Shiphtur and ZionSpartan pretty much carried the team through the Spring Split, and unless Coast can somehow find players of their caliber again, I don't think we'll be seeing them in the promotion tourney.

At any rate, the deal is certain to shake things up for the Summer Split. It'll be interesting to see how Coast's solo laners perform with a solid team behind them, and how the rest of the LCS responds to the new Dignitas.

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