A few days after the club's inaugural esports match victory, Phoenix1 is making moves to build on its momentum heading into the final few weeks of the North American League of Legends Championship Series summer season. The team has signed former KT Rolster support Jeong "Fixer" Jae Woo from South Korea to bolster the team's roster.
During his time in South Korea, Fixer started 42 games for the perennial League of Legends Champions Korea contenders and accrued a 55 percent win rate. His two most-played (and most successful) champions on KT Rolster were the engage-happy Alistar (7-4) and Thresh (7-2), which personified Fixer's impressive playmaking abilities.
"To come outside my comfort zone to a foreign country is daunting, but joining a really good team feels incredible. I am thrilled. I really want to show how good I am," said Fixer in Phoenix1's press release.
Fixer joining P1, pending Riot Games' approval, will bump the team's roster from a streamlined starting five to six, adding more depth to the lineup. Fixer will compete and play alongside Austin "Gate" Yu in the support role with Brandon "Mash" Phan acting as full-time AD carry in the bottom lane.
"I'm excited that we're adding another dimension to our bot lane," said Mash. "Having two support players will allow us to be more diverse in our playstyles and champion pools. I'm looking forward to playing alongside him."
"I'm enthusiastic to expand our roster with the addition of Fixer," said head coach Charlie Lipsie. "We have a great environment where players can learn and help each other improve. Even though Fixer won't be able to play on stage until he has his visa, I'm sure he will make an immediate positive impact on the team."
At 1-9 in the standings, Phoenix1 will need a spirited run in the final four weeks of the regular season to get itself out of one of the bottom three spots in the league and secure a berth in 2017's NA LCS spring split. Counter Logic Gaming and Apex Gaming, 4-6 each, occupy not only the seventh spot that would save P1 from facing the relegation tournament, but the final playoff spot for the league as well.
Phoenix1 continues its summer split this upcoming week as it takes on Echo Fox (1-9) on Saturday before facing the defending champions, CLG, on Sunday afternoon.