With Shopify Rebellion (SR) dropping one of the offseason’s biggest bombshells this Friday morning — a merger with Charles Christopher “MoistCr1TiKaL” White Jr. and Ludwig “Ludwig” Ahgren’s Moist Esports — their narrative in the LTA North Conference next year will be defined, in large part, by Disguised (DSG). Fans of Ludwig and Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang, owner and founder of DSG, have watched their favorite streamers lose money hand over fist on their esports ventures over the last several years, and they’ll finally watch the two face off in a Tier 1 esports league.
Though the NA League of Legends scene has steadily shrunk in the last several years, passionate fans have hoped that creators would help breathe life into the scene like Karmine Corp and KOI have in Europe. DSG and Moist Esports, having fielded hugely popular teams in other titles — most notably in VALORANT — were the clearest contenders to be NA’s saviors. With the franchise system locking Tier 1 LoL spots behind seven-to-eight-figure price tags, though, it seemed like a pipe dream. The LTA merger changed that.
Under the new LTA system permitting one NACL Guest Slot team to play in the LCS, DSG was already set to be one of the most followed teams in the league — Toast has nearly 4 million subscribers on Youtube, 3 million followers on Twitch, and 1.5 million followers on Twitter, and plugs DSG’s merch, games, and branding constantly. Now, with Ludwig doing the same for SR, the LTA is hoping to capitalize on a massive combined fan base.
Interestingly, this synchronized LTA debut was a coincidence — Toast clarified to Sheep Esports that, while their esports operations officers had discussed the viability of competing in Tier 1 Lolesports, he and Ludwig had never discussed their LTA plans directly. And, while fans — and narrative necessity — may cast the teams as rivals, he’s never seen them that way.
“I think we were both happily surprised when we found out about each other's entry into the scene. He's genuinely a great person [who] tries to do right by his players and employees, and, of course, his brand and presence [will] be incredible for the Lolesports ecosystem.
While I'm sure there will be no shortage of friendly banter between our teams and ourselves, I want to say that I've always seen [Moist] not as rivals, but comrades — creator-led orgs, driven by passion, going up against deep pockets and stagnant old guard esports [teams] like Dignitas.
I'm always rooting for them, and it's actually really nice to feel like there's another creator in a similar boat.”
— Jeremy "Disguised Toast" Wang
For his part, Toast has been a fan of the LCS since its inception — when DSG joined the NACL, he cited his favorite team as the
2014 XDG roster featuring Xmithie. As he prepares for the inaugural LTA split, he's earned the right to criticize the organizations that have become emblematic of the LCS's stagnation in recent years.
Toast and Ludwig will both be at the LTA Opening Weekend, ready to watch their new rosters debut against the strongest teams in North America for the first time. After years of bemoaning the rules preventing fan-favorite teams from ever competing in the Tier 1 LoL circuit without millions to spend — and taking shots at the old-guard organizations who let the NA scene wither — the beloved streamers are ready to put their money where their mouths are. If things go well, it could usher in a new golden era for North American League of Legends.
