North American esports organisation NRG has announced its return to League of Legends esports via the tier-two North American scene.
Announced on its social media channels, NRG will be competing in the North American Challengers League (NACL) after merging with DarkZero late last year, the latter of which was already competing in the league.
In the post, the team explained that its focus will be on developing the new generation of talent. As a result, NRG has partnered up with research group and consulting company SIDO, which is known for fostering youngsters in the League of Legends esports scene.
The core of the roster has been finalised, and NRG is currently running tryouts for the remaining spots on the roster. The team has also opened applications to hire a head coach to lead the team.
NRG Hopes for an LCS Return
This marks NRG’s third tenure in League of Legends esports. Initially joining in 2016 with veteran players such as Jeong ‘Impact’ Eon-young and Lee ‘GBM’ Chang-seok, the team struggled to produce competitive results and was immediately relegated at the end of the year.
The first time the team rejoined the LCS was in 2023 after acquiring Counter Logic Gaming. On this occasion, NRG made an explosive impact and immediately won the LCS Championship that same year. The roster also had a strong showing at Worlds 2023, advancing to the top eight as the only Western team in 2023.
Despite keeping the same line-up in 2024, the roster didn’t maintain the same level of performance, with two sixth-place finishes. At the end of the year, NRG disbanded again.
With the organisation joining the NACL, NRG is looking to qualify for the 2027 Promotion tournament and make it back to the LCS by earning the guest slot, which is currently held by Disguised.
