The European Regional League (ERL) offseason is nearly complete, which is quite unusual given that it's only the beginning of November. Typically, it waits until the end of the LEC offseason because ERL teams want to secure the best possible players for their rosters. Similarly, top ERL talent prefers to await LEC opportunities before committing to ERL teams. Last month, Sheep Esports explained why the LFL offseason began early, and this trend has since then extended to other ERLs as regions aim to compete on the same players.

As a result of this situation, some teams have established verbal agreements that include LEC/LCS clauses. For instance, Jezu is still allowed to engage in discussions with LEC teams despite being contracted with Team GO. However, this isn't a perfect solution, as Jezu's potential move to the LEC could put Team GO in a challenging position, considering that most ERL botlaners have already found teams.

One role has been exempt from this trend—the support role. While the support role is witnessing numerous changes in the LEC, there are obvious talent waiting to make their entry in the top European league. This is why some appealing LFL teams have yet to secure a support.

Support Musical Chairs

Sources inform Sheep Esports that five LEC teams—Excel, Fnatic, KOI, SK Gaming, and Team Vitality—are currently in the market for a support. While this doesn't guarantee a change in this role for each team, they are in discussions with multiple players for the position. On a side note, while Karmine Corp has not yet finalized their support, Targamas is likely to start for them, so we won't include the French organization in the list.

There are also six players currently available on the market who participated in the LEC during the last Summer Split. This list includes former Team Heretics and MAD Lions supports. This is due to those teams respective acquisitions of new supports Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser and Álvaro "Alvaro" Fernández del Amo.

• Trymbi
• Hylissang
• LIMIT
• Advienne
• Doss
• Mersa

Furthermore, several ERL supports have not yet committed to a team, as they await potential LEC opportunities.

• Zoelys
• Kamilius
• Parus

This means that nine players may be competing for five available LEC spots, with the possibility of this list expanding to ten, as Carl Martin Erik "Rekkles" Larsson has been in discussions with LEC teams for the support role. However, the Swedish star is also exploring opportunities with teams outside of Europe.

Fortunately for these players, there are three appealing teams in the LFL in search of supports: Team BDS Academy, Karmine Corp Academy, and Gentle Mates. That's a total of eight teams seeking top-tier support across the LFL and LEC. Consequently, one or two names may find themselves without a team, either remaining teamless or considering opportunities in another region.

Awaiting Unlocks

The LEC offseason is progressing slowly due to the competition for support roles. Additionally, one reason for the extended duration is that team choices regarding support may depend on the decision of Midlaner Emil "Larssen" Larsson. The outcome of the AD Carry role may also be influenced by these decisions.

Currently, it's uncertain which of the mentioned supports will make it into the LEC, but it's likely that some rookies will secure spots. Both LEC and LFL have varying priorities in this regard, and since this list is variable, the outcome remains uncertain. However, we should have a clearer picture in the coming two weeks.