Written by James “Torok” Thomsen
The Return
To reflect upon 2020 as a collective, it is a year of which many would choose to forget. The coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe, wreaking havoc in its wake and bringing an end to society as we know it. Schools closed, businesses shut down and all but essential travel ceased.
However, in all this chaos, one spark of light remained.
Esports prevailed. Rocket League, Call of Duty & CS:GO prevailed. And in the case of League of Legends, Team Singularity prevailed!
2020 marked the re-entry of Team Singularity into the League of Legends scene after a year-long absence, signing the roster built by SNG alumni Andreas “Skude” Skude, who dominated the Nordic Championship qualifiers for Spring 2021.
Joining Skude: Nille, Khrogsen, Reje and Vayu entered the Nordic Championship under the #SNGARMY to compete for the championship title. Head Coach Strxm also joined following the qualifiers, with substitute Flaystation rounding out the roster.
As their qualifying name suggests, (“One of the best if not the best”) Singularity returned to League of Legends with a thunderous roster, and as favourites for the Nordic title. The team clicked well throughout the tournament and aced the regular season finishing 2nd. The clear identity offered playing through Reje and Vayu brought stability to the line-up, with Skude, Nille and Khrogsen’s consistent gameplay throughout securing crucial victories against rivals Nordavind, Vipers Inc and Dusty.
This all culminated in Team Singularity reaching the Grand Finals of the Nordic Championship Spring 2020, and convincingly sweeping aside a strong Vipers side 3-1 to qualify as the Nordic region’s #1 seed to the Spring EU Masters Main Stage, the most prestigious European League of Legends competition beneath the LEC.
Unfortunately, as with all great teams, they had their issues and it showed at EUM. In a strong group containing one of the finalists from the event, (K1CK), eventual semi-finalists (Movistar Riders) and the fancied LEC academy Schalke04 Evolution, the team were unable to secure a victory at the next level of European competition.
The Fall
Following the strong performances of the roster in Spring, and Team Singularity’s commitment to staying in League of Legends, SNG was invited to the newly merged Northern League Championship. A prestigious league bringing together a conglomerate of countries, The United Kingdom & Ireland merged with the Nordic region to create a “super league” and with it came the arrival of a new host of talent promising a revitalisation to a region often left behind in the ERL space.
For Singularity, however, the championship roster of old was no more, as key members achieved greater heights. Skude though, remained, and built the new roster for Team Singularity in 2021 summer. Flaxxish, Vrow, TakeSet and Only35 joined the roster alongside their new coach Torok.
The summer season was a period of rebuilding and rebirth for Team Singularity in League of Legends, with new infrastructure being implemented and a change of hands from the old guard to the new. But in theme with the 2020 we have all experienced, Team Singularity prevailed. Despite a woeful season, finishing 1-9 in the Group Stage, the team pulled together to survive relegations. A herculean workload went into surviving the split, and substitute Gaaloul provided much-needed stability to secure a tense Bo5 win versus Telia Masters victors Kova Esports, guaranteeing SNG a spot in the NLC come next Spring.
The Revival
In charge of SNG’s off-season for 2021, Torok set about planning the rise of Singularity once again. With a focus on nurturing talent, the coaching staff was fleshed out with 2x EUM attendee Mateusz “Kiao” Sujdack joining ahead of the NLC Fall Open. Kiao and Torok came together to build a new roster around previous toplaner Flaxxish, with a focus on nurturing the talent of the future. Alexx and Zamulek, (both great prospective players) joined the roster alongside veterans Dragane and Joo for the Fall Cup, and the roster reflected the progress made since a disastrous summer season.
The more diverse coaching staff was proving effective in generating a great team atmosphere and our rookies developed even faster than anyone could have expected. Alexx soon showed to be a player of immense talent and work ethic, and we wish him all the best for 2021 at MAD Lions Madrid.
Some strong performances in the cup versus notable teams such as eventual winners Barrage, and a 2-0’ing of semi-finalists Dusty showed SNG League of Legends was once again rising, ready to make a return to the top end of competition. Whilst a close 2-1 series versus Absolved ended our run in the Fall Open, the driving force behind SNG remained as strong as ever.
Team Singularity will return stronger for 2021, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, re-establish ourselves a major player within the NLC. Progress has been made, and the NLC Spring Season is fast approaching. Singularity League of Legends is ready and could not be more excited for 2021.
“It’s been a pleasure to re-enter League of Legends in 2020, and after a year with ups and downs I’m looking forward to a great 2021 with the newly signed team! I believe we have found a great solution to balance out the ups and downs on the journey together, as the players have been signed for a full year and it’ll therefore be much easier to capitalize on long-term synergies and track the players development. Furthermore then I feel very confident in the current team management and I believe that we will have a great 2021 in League of Legends.”
Atle S. Stehouwer, Founder & CEO, Team Singularity
#SNGARMY
About Team Singularity:
Team Singularity, recently acquired by Rightbridge Ventures, launched in 2016 as a grassroots operation and has grown into a premier esports organization with professional teams competing in Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, League of Legends, FIFA22, Apex Legends and more.
The company is focused on talent development and is the leading player talent incubator in esports. Team Singularity has the largest path2pro esports academy in the world with over 10,000 active amateur players making their way to become the next pro player in esports.
Team Singularity is home to more than 100 players and staff members from more than 30 different countries.
About GamerTech™:
GamerTech (GT) brings disruptive products, technology-based gamer wearables, and advanced apparel solutions to market, focused explicitly on gamers and esports athletes to boost performance, amplify experience, and enhance their overall wellness. GT is a startup within MAS Innovation, a subsidiary of MAS Holdings - the most prominent apparel tech manufacturer in South Asia, with over 118,000 employees across 17 countries and a turnover of USD 2 billion, strongly focusing on apparel-based innovations. MAS Innovation ranked 18th among the world's best workplaces for innovators, conducted by Fast Company in 2022, and placed in Clarivate's highly prestigious Asian innovators list in 2021 and 2022.
