Top Laner Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau has reached a verbal agreement with FlyQuest to re-join the League Championship Series (LCS), according to Sheep Esports sources. The Belgian player also had interest from both Team Heretics and Excel. While Team Heretics considered Bwipo as a Toplaner, EXCEL was interested to field the player in the Jungle position.

Veterancy for FlyQuest

North American organization FlyQuest have just secured its third new addition for 2024. Along with Bwipo, as reported earlier this week, the team also found agreements with former Evil Geniuses jungler Kacper "Inspired" Słoma and AD Carry Fahad "Massu" Abdulmalek who will be promoted from the team's academic division. With two veterans in FLY's top side now locked, the team is poised to make a mark on the league next year.

Per sources, the Belgian top laner came close to finding a deal with the Spanish organization Team Heretics which would involve the player's return to the EMEA region after 2 years of absence. Having expressed a desire to continue his career in North America at the end of 2022, this move seems logical for Bwipo.

Earlier this month, FlyQuest announced its parting with former mid laner Lee "VicLa" Dae-kwang and coach Kim "Ssong" Sang-soo, leaving the two positions vacant heading into the 2024 season. Additionally, support player Philippe "Vulcan" Laflamme is currently expected to join Cloud9, per Sheep Esports sources. Depending on which players FLY decides to approach next, the team could very well become a strong contender for the LCS next year.

The future of South Korean top laner Jeong "Impact" Eon-young is currently unknown at the time of writing this article, though sources close to Sheep Esports tell our writers that the player had already started exploring his options earlier last month.

A Grand Return to the LCS

Although the Belgian player hasn't competed in a professional setting since the end of 2022, Bwipo remains a familiar name to North American fans. Most known for his four-year tenure as Fnatic's top laner, Bwipo originally became known in 2018 when he replaced he legendary French top laner Paul "sOAZ" Boyer. In his first year with the team, Bwipo made an immediate impact, achieving something that had eluded European teams for years: reaching the Worlds Grand Finals in 2018.

Unfortunately, the now 24-year-old top laner hasn't been able to claim a championship title since then, despite coming close as a runner-up on four occasions. In late 2021, Bwipo also underwent a temporary role swap as a jungler for Fnatic before ultimately parting ways with the organization.

In 2022, Bwipo embarked on a new adventure by joining Team Liquid in North America, as the organization aimed to create a super-team. While the team started strong in the Spring Split, they eventually faltered, ultimately finishing in 3rd place during the playoffs. The struggles continued into the summer split, where they ended the LCS Championship in 4th place, leading to Bwipo missing out on a Worlds appearance for the first time in his career.

After disappointing showings, Team Liquid decided to explore different options for its 2023 roster, leaving Bwipo without a competitive team. He would decide to remain with the organization as a content creator, taking a one-year hiatus from competitive play.

Now, Bwipo is gearing up to make his return to the LCS, with his sights set on breaking his curse and claiming his title in North America.

Current FLY 2024 LCS Roster

Top: Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau
Jungle: Kacper "Inspired" Słoma
Mid: ?
ADC: Fahad "Massu" Abdulmalek
Support: ?