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Immortals announce Xmithie’s benching days before start of LCS

Immortals announce Xmithie's benching, less that two days before the start of the 2020 Summer Split

Four-time LCS champion and Jungler for Immortals, Jake Kevin “Xmithie” Puchero, has been benched just prior to the start of the LCS season. The move was announced late Wednesday evening (June 10), in posts made across Immortals’ social media.

The news comes just days before the start of the LCS 2020 Summer split. Immortals are poised in their bid to improve on a disappointing 8-10 record in spring, which left the team looking for any way to improve.

Xmithie first hinted that roster moves may be in the works in an interview posted at the start of the week. In discussion with Nick Geracie of Inven Global, the jungler explained that “We might have a lot of different roster changes this upcoming week.”

Later in the interview, he elaborated on the problems his team had been facing: “It’s been a really rough road for us and for the Immortals fans. We didn’t really do so hot this spring, and I apologize for that. All of us are definitely working towards trying to get Immortals back on the radar screen – not just with a spot in the Summer Playoffs, but hopefully, as the best team in North America. We’ll be working our hardest for that this split.”

With the announcement of his benching, Xmithie’s replacement will be Nicholas James Joseph “Potluck” Pollock. A less known player, Potluck has been part of the LCS for just two seasons, initially getting his start as part of Golden Guardians, and their Academy side GGS. A move to IMT Academy saw him move into the competition for a starting spot on his current team. 

Potluck’s playstyle is not altogether dissimilar from Xmithie, so the move could be a solid fit. The team may even find them interchangeable, given both player’s comfort on Lee Sin, Rek’Sai, and Jarvan IV. However, for the opening week, at least, Potluck is the definitive starter.

The Immortals will face FlyQuest and Counter Logic Gaming in their opening matches – a difficult but achievable pair of victories if they can secure them. You can see the now Xmithie-less Immortals in action on the LCS Twitch or LoL Esports YouTube channel

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