T1 signs Nick ‘LS’ De Cesare as Riftbound pro

T1 announced in June 2026 that Nick “LS” De Cesare has joined the organisation as its Riftbound player. The club listed him as its dedicated competitor in Riot Games’ physical card title.

LS began his competitive card-game career in Magic: The Gathering and shifted focus to Riftbound after the Origins set launched. He has produced Riftbound content online, organised local events in South Korea to attract League of Legends fans to the card game, and competed at major events earlier in 2026. At the Las Vegas regional qualifier he received the Best of Teemo award while appearing at the event with connections to FlyQuest and T1 through his League of Legends content-creator and analyst work.

T1 is the largest esports organisation in South Korea. The signing makes T1 one of the first major League of Legends organisations to add a dedicated Riftbound player. The club did not publish details about LS’s role beyond the roster announcement or a schedule of events tied to the signing.

Riftbound’s Origins set launched in 2025. The game established a substantial player and spectator base in China, where card releases preceded English-language sets. Outside China, competitive Riftbound has been led by established card-game teams and specialist Collectible Trading Card Game players.

Recent international results include an EDG player winning the Sydney event with an Irelia deck and a Spanish organisation sending three players to the top eight at the Utrecht tournament. Teams such as TSS and Team Poland have been regular participants at recent events.

LS expects the work he has done in Korea to create new opportunities in the coming weeks. The announcement did not specify tournament entries, sponsorship details or whether T1 will field additional players for Riftbound events.