100 Thieves have acquired former FC Schalke 04 mid laner Felix “Abbedagge” Braun to start for their LCS team. The move came just an hour after the team announced top laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho earned NA residency by securing a green card. Therefore, it was no surprise 100 Thieves moved quickly to address their weakest position.
Mid laner Abbedagge will be leaving Europe behind to join 100 Thieves in the LCS. (Photo courtesy Riot Games - Michal Konkol)
Abbedagge has seen a meteoric rise in his value over the past year. After mixed results in his first three splits with S04, Abbedagge was incredible during S04’s miracle run in Summer 2020. Abbedagge carried over that momentum into 2021 and had a great Spring Split. He led LEC mid laners in kill participation (70.2%), kill share (26.8%), and first blood rate (33%).
Abbedagge instantly upgrades what has been a big trouble spot for 100 Thieves. Forced to rely on an NA-eligible mid laner with two other imports, 100T’s combination of Tanner “Damonte” Damonte and Tommy “Ry0ma” Le struggled in Spring Split. Both ranked near the bottom of LCS mid laners in gold difference at 10 minutes (10th and 12), XP difference at 10 minutes (8th and 12th), and CS per minute (9th and 11th). While never the focal points of the team, these numbers come in spite of the fact that they had above-average supporting casts.
The Abbedagge acquisition comes in tandem with a coaching change. On April 17, 100 Thieves announced that they hired Head Coach Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu to replace Tony “Zikz” Gray. The former Cloud9 coach will be tasked with turning around a roster that regressed during the Spring Split.
These two moves signal 100 Thieves’ intention to win now. After their 2020 commitment to player development didn’t net anything, 100T are shelling out to make a run at Worlds. Their 11-7 Spring record puts them behind the three teams at the top they’ll be chasing—Cloud9, Team Liquid, and TSM.
The Abbedagge move also ensures 100 Thieves will once again be a team of five non-native NA players. 100T’s starting lineup now has two Korean players with green cards, two Europeans taking up their import slots, and one Oceanic player. Because of this, 100 Thieves’ roster-building should spark more debate on the LCS’ under-fire import rules.
For Schalke 04, the sale of Abbedagge seems to confirm the organization’s financial troubles. As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was their final season in the LEC. The team has announced they have promoted Academy mid laner Ilias “Nuclearint” Bizriken to replace Abbedagge.
