Kobbe
Kobbe
Of all the Europeans in our Players to Watch series, Kobbe is the only one who has never played in the LCS. 2016 will be the young Dane's rookie season after he helped Team Dignitas EU graduate from the EU Challenger Series to the EU LCS in the EU CS Summer Playoffs. It's been a long road for Kobbe, but his dream of reaching the big leagues has now come true and he stands a good chance of making a name for himself on the European -- if not the global -- stage.
Not that Kobbe isn't already recognised as a good player. His performance in the EU Challenger Series last year was excellent and was critical to Team Dignitas' ascent. In fact, we're overdue seeing Kobbe on the LCS stage, since the team did well enough in the Challenger Series Spring Split to make it to the Playoffs and play for a spot in the EU LCS. Unfortunately, two team members were underage at the time, and so they forewent the opportunity in a show of noble team solidarity.
Those same team members are now ready for professional play and join him on Splyce after coming first in the EU Challenger Series Summer Playoffs. Things were touch-and-go for a little while after their win, because it meant Team Dignitas was in possession of two LCS teams, something the rules prohibit. They had to sell the team, which didn't necessarily guarantee the players would survive the transition and remain on the roster.
Thankfully, when Follow Esports bought Team Dignitas' slot, they also took on almost all of the team, although they did rebrand their organisation to Splyce, giving Kobbe and friends their third team name in as many weeks. But the important thing was the stability of the line-up. The team decided to upgrade to jungler Trashy, and with four out of five having played together many times before, Splyce should have a strong team synergy going into the 2016 Spring Split -- even compared to heavyweights like Fnatic, who have undergone significant restructuring.
Kobbe also stands to benefit from 2016 preseason changes that boosted the power of several marksman champions, giving him more options in the bottom lane. The strength of standard AD carry champions will soften his learning curve as he makes his first steps onto the LCS stage. Kobbe wasn't exactly struggling to make his mark in the Challenger Series, so the combination of familiar teammates, buffed champions, and his own innate skill should make him one to watch.
Say what you will about European mid laners, but after Rekkles and Niels, we've learned that young ADCs entering their rookie split are definitely ones to be keeping an eye on, too.
-- By Jem Alexander