Despite a difficult start to the year, Belgian organization Once Upon A Team (OUAT) is now shaking things up. Per sources, the team has now locked five new members ahead of the ESLOL 2024 Summer Split — Elite Series: League of Legends — formed around top laner "jjs156", jungler "Woldjo", mid laner "Monstrob", ad carry "Sm0oZi", and support "Lyrokun", according to sources close to Sheep Esports.

To round out the roster, the squad will also welcome head coach Felix "Gerrah" De Lagrave, who previously worked with North American collegiate teams and Seoul Neons in the LCK Academy Series.

Road to Redemption

Currently in its first year in the ERL 1st Division, Once Upon A Team is looking to improve upon its past failures and make a mark in the Benelux region. Starting the year with a sub-par result and finishing 7th in the spring season, the Belgian organization is now signing an entirely refreshed roster. Retaining none of its previous team members, OUAT is attempting to surpass expectations and redeem itself following poor past results.

Plagued by the mid-split retirement of its former jungler, Christian "Lykki" Verkhozine, in spring, the organization struggled in its debut split, having to substitute its 3rd division Belgian jungler to finish the first half of the year. After considering multiple options, the team has now parted ways with all previous members, despite having considered some of them for the summer season.

Fresh Talents

Despite now boasting a completely new roster, OUAT initially entered the off-season with the intention of retaining its core French lineup of Coryan "Revo" Cooper, Florian "Nilsog" Gosselin, and Romain "Kolios" Ritow. However, as the team received word from its rookie jungler, Stéphane "Drago" Rougeyres, that he would take a step back from competition, and after mutually parting ways with former mid laner Emilien "Water" Godeau, Once Upon A Team initially planned to solely seek new potential jungler and mid lane candidates to fill out its summer roster.

Unfortunately, as time passed, the organization quickly encountered difficulties in finding strong local talents that would properly complement its existing core. According to sources, the organization first decided to allow Nilsog and Kolios to explore other options, although they remained potential candidates for the future roster. Sources also indicate that the support position was the last to be finalized, while the AD carry position was decided relatively early on.

As trials continued, Revo eventually decided to step back from the team for personal reasons, a decision fully supported by the organization. While the team continued to explore multiple potential routes, Jesper "jjs156" Schouten became the first player the team ultimately settled on. Despite never having competed within the region's 1st Division, the player has recently impressed many, peaking in high challenger and proving himself to be a strong potential prospect for the league. Unfortunately, due to an ongoing suspension highlighted in the EMEA Penalty Tracker, the player will be unable to join his team in the first two matches of the competition. His replacement remains undecided at this time.

Soon after, the team also decided to promote Kevin "Sm0oZi" Bonnarens, OUAT's former Division 2 and Amateur bot laner. Sources indicate that despite finalizing this position early, the organization strongly considered former Slash Lions bot laner Ayoub "Kyx" El Alami, who competed in the Arabian League in the spring. While the team settled on Sm0oZi, sources suggest that the Belgio-Moroccan player will now seek to join RED OUAT in the amateur circuit.

Known for his time with Benelux United in the Benelux, and most recently Project Conquerors in the LFL Division 2, Aurélien "Monstrob" Farenc later joined forces with the organization as its new mid laner. Sources indicate that the team also showed interest in other players such as Marty (mCon) and Crown (DYN). Despite poor results in the LFL2 in the first half of the year, Monstrob should still prove to be a serviceable addition in a league of lower average level.

William "Woldjo" Donatzky was also signed around that time to fill the team's jungle position. Despite being a household name in the NLC, the player will be making his very first appearance in the Benelux region. In the past, the Danish jungler was most known for his time with UniQ Esports Club and Venomcrest Esports, with whom he competed in the Northern ERL 1st and 2nd divisions, respectively.

Last but not least, former Inside Games and Keypulse Esports support Emre "Lyrokun" Kadioglu will be occupying the support position. A player with relatively low competitive experience, the German support is expected to be a diamond in the rough for the team, having shown strong individual capabilities and having peaked as high as 1349 LP on the solo queue ladder. The team also strongly considered Gustav "Snabi" Nilsson as its support, but due to complications, was unable to secure the Swedish player and eventually opted for Lyrokun instead.

Full OUAT 2024 Summer ESLOL Roster