NRG seems to have played their last game together as a group, as the North American representatives at the 2023 League of Legends World Championship have been eliminated. NRG has been eliminated from the LCS 2024 Summer Championship by Dignitas on Saturday in a series that was entertaining by all standards in the LCS’s recent history.
The two sets of players traded matches as the match needed a fifth game to determine which squad gets to keep its World’s dream alive. However, Licorice emerged the series MVP after leading DIG to a 3-2 win in a finale that needed 49 minutes.
While NRG jungler Contractz was consistent all through the five games, his efforts were not enough to save the game, and it seems that they may not be enough to save the team’s future. This is because the LCS will reduce its slots after its conference merger with South America, which will happen after the Summer split.
“It’s really emotional because next year, we don’t really know what’s going to happen. I’ve just really enjoyed playing with my teammates for three years,” Contractz said.
From his comments, it’s assumable that he, Palafox, and Dhokla might not be under the same banner in 2025 with the LCS’ plans to downsize. The three players have been competing together since 2022 and even had a fairytale championship run in 2023 as they also went on to register a top-eight finish at League Worlds, which was when CLG collapsed in Spring 2023, forcing them to join NRG.
Unfortunately, NRG’s momentum nosedived towards the end of 2023 and going into 2024. They had a 6-8 record in the spring, followed by a five-match loss to 100 Thieves in the playoffs and qualifier for MSI. Meanwhile, Dignitas has moved through the lower bracket and will play their next match next Friday, August 30.
