Now that the 2022 World Championship has passed, League of Legends teams all across the world must now deal with free agency. In Oceania, this entails massive roster changes, fresh-faced groupings, and a dash to assemble a squad capable of winning a title before Split One in January.

The Chiefs easily prevailed in their last game. The team’s first League loss of the whole split occurred in the grand finals, where Pentanet.GG defeated them 3-1 in a match. They had an earlier record of 24-0.

The team’s winless Worlds campaign in North America dampened that almost-historic run a little, but their dominance at home cannot be discounted.

Oceania as a whole will undergo change starting in 2023.

Any Australian squad seeking to participate internationally will face a more difficult path starting with LCO 2023 Split One. Oceania will send two seeded teams to the PCS playoffs, as Riot announced earlier month. (This is the first time in the history of the League that Australia hasn’t had a direct route to tournaments abroad.)

Two new teams have entered the competition as well: Team Bliss and Ground Zero Gaming, who take the place of the former ORDER (replacing Gravitas).

Before the start date in January, here are all the 2023 roster updates.

The Chiefs

Finished 1st in LCO 2022 Split Two

The Chiefs will always be remembered for their 27-game winning streak in Oceania, but a depressing Worlds whitewash in Mexico City has forced the defending champions to make another squad adjustment. After ending a six-year wait to assume the Australian monarchy for the sixth time, their focus will be on keeping their reign.

Early LCO reports state that the champions will keep AD carry Raes in their 2023 starting lineup. The ex-ORDER pair BioPanther (top lane) and Kisee will join the organization (mid lane).

Coach Babip will also resume playing, this time as the jungler for the team.

  • Top ⁠— Brandon “BioPanther” Alexander
  • Jungle ⁠— Leo “Babip” Romer
  • Mid ⁠— Ronald “Kisee” Vo
  • ADC ⁠— Quin “Raes” Korebrits
  • Support ⁠— (Previously Aladoric)

Dire Wolves

Finished 4th in LCO 2022 Split Two

The once-reigning kings of Oceania enjoyed two postseason runs in 2022 but were punted out of contention in fifth both times. If rumors around the organization’s new lineup are true, DW fortunes could change again next year.

  • Top ⁠— (Previously Zorenous/Shardblade)
  • Jungle ⁠— (Previously Poltron)
  • Mid ⁠— (Previously Siuman)
  • ADC ⁠— (Previously Danteh)
  • Support ⁠— (Previously Bulldawg)

Ground Zero Gaming

First season, acquired ORDER LCO slot

Ground Zero Gaming is replacing ORDER in the LCO. The long-standing Oceanic org acquired the franchise slot after ORDER went into administration.

  • Top ⁠— TBA
  • Jungle ⁠— TBA
  • Mid ⁠— TBA
  • ADC ⁠— TBA
  • Support ⁠— TBA

Kanga Esports

Finished 5th in LCO 2022 Split Two

Kanga snuck into the LCO postseason last split with a mixed 10–11 record and contested their first League finals bracket. They knocked fourth-seeded Dire Wolves out in four before a finals-bound PGG swept them out of finals.

  • Top ⁠— (Previously Lived)
  • Jungle ⁠— (Previously Foreigner)
  • Mid ⁠— (Previously Fighto)
  • ADC ⁠— (Previously Styled/Leemas)
  • Support ⁠— (Previously Benvi)

MAMMOTH

Finished 7th in LCO 2022 Split Two

Since representing Oceania at Worlds in 2019, Mammoth has finished eighth, seventh, eighth, eighth, seventh, and seventh, in that order. Between 2022’s two splits MEC scored 11 wins amid a series of lineup shuffles.

  • Top ⁠— (Previously Tronthepom/Papryze)
  • Jungle ⁠— (Previously Meifan)
  • Mid ⁠— (Previously Reufury)
  • ADC ⁠— (Previously Voice/District)
  • Support ⁠— (Previously Rocco/Ali G)

PEACE

Finished 6th in LCO 2022 Split Two

Despite boasting a strong lineup, PEACE slid to sixth with a 9–12 record in Split Two last season and failed to contest finals. The question of player pay (they have failed to pay a host of their players from the 2021 and 2022 seasons despite promises otherwise) still hangs over the org’s head.

  • Top ⁠— (Previously Thien)
  • Jungle ⁠— (Previously LeeSA)
  • Mid ⁠— (Previously Apii)
  • ADC ⁠— (Previously Violet)
  • Support ⁠— (Previously Gunkrab)

Pentanet.GG

Finished 3rd in LCO 2022 Split Two

PGG ran third last split and lost to ORDER in the upper bracket. They rallied in round two, blew Kanga away in three, ousted ORD in the revenge match by the same margin, and took a game off the previously invincible Chiefs in a grand final defeat. Expect Pentanet to stay right in the title hunt in 2023.

Reports have tipped PGG to run a bot lane combo of Violet and Apii. The departing PEACE pair last played together in the duo lane with Avant Gaming in the last-ever OPL split in 2020. Apii has role-swapped to top then mid since then.

  • Top ⁠— (Previously Winterer)
  • Jungle ⁠— (Previously BalKhan)
  • Mid ⁠— (Previously Yuri)
  • AD carry ⁠— Vincent “Violet” Wong
  • Support ⁠— Yao “Apii” Jian-Jing

Team Bliss

First season, acquired Gravitas LCO slot

Bliss is the second of two LCO newcomers in 2023. They acquired a League slot from perennial wooden spooners and competition strugglers Gravitas.

  • Top ⁠— TBA
  • Jungle ⁠— TBA
  • Mid ⁠— TBA
  • ADC ⁠— TBA
  • Support ⁠— TBA

The LCO and Oceanic League action is expected to return to our screens towards the end of Jan. 2023. Split One started on Monday, Jan. 24 earlier this year.