Coalesce
With the signing of 1PIN only a month ago, Coalesce make their return to EPIC.LAN to compete once again. Led by Ryan “dox” Young, the team have been making waves recently thanks to impressive performances in both ESEA Advanced and CCT West Europe, ultimately qualifying for the playoffs. EPIC.LAN 38 marks the first time this core of players will be seen playing together at LAN and, with a plethora of impressive results behind them, the stage is set for possible title contention.
Viperio
Marking the organisation’s first appearance at a UK LAN event for CS:GO since the COVID-19 pandemic, Viperio are set to maintain their place near the top of the UK CS:GO scene. Utilizing Javier “Ping” Griffiths, Viperio will be aiming to continue building upon their successful trajectory in the season so far, and to prove that their losses in CCT and European Pro League were stepping stones in the journey to victory for this team, solidifying their deep run in the BLAST RMR Qualifiers as no fluke.
Arctic Raptors
The boys in blue have had a brutal string of results this season in ESEA, with multiple narrow losses to mainstay teams in Advanced. Nonetheless, their strides haven’t stopped as they look to EPIC.LAN, where Dan “papp” Hart and his boys shall make their case for a deep run in the event. The team will look to build from the experience they have gained and the lessons they learned from EPIC.LAN 37. A heart-breaking top-6 finish was enough to light the fire within the team and help them to push for ESEA promotion, a feat which they hope to repeat this time round.
Photo credits: EPIC.LAN
ROYALS
ROYALS as a name is synonymous with various UK players, most notably Kyle “swaggy” Wilson. His tenure with the team has spanned multiple years at this stage and has gone through countless iterations to bring it to the UK core it sports today. ROYALS suffered a fatal blow last season in ESEA Main, where they failed to secure promotion in playoffs. This season, however, the team have hit the ground running with a flawless record in Main, flexing an impressive 8 wins in a row. They look to continue this impressive form at EPIC.LAN as well, building off of the last ROYALS appearance at EPIC.LAN 35 where they achieved a top-8 finish.
Legates
Legates, a team of players who are no strangers to LAN. With many appearances in various iterations of both mixes and official teams, Legates are looking to stand out from the rest of the UK scene at EPIC.LAN. Despite a disappointing 13-16th placing at the most recent EPIC.LAN at the end of October last year, the squad have already made their intentions clear as they bounce back with a stable record in Main. Spearheaded by the top fragger during the season, Alfie “Rayman” Bench, Legates are putting their name up as one of the UK teams to beat this time round on LAN.
K10
Going back to the end of last year, K10 were in attendance at the last EPIC.LAN. However, names under the banner have changed since the last event, after the organisation decided to switch up their managerial tactics and pick up a new roster. The new team has already made it clear that they are a force to be reckoned with, second only to ROYALS when it comes to UK teams in Main. They hope to transfer their online successes to the halls of the Kettering Conference Centre, even while utilizing the likes of Andrew “Wolfie” Allan as a substitute for the European representation in the team who can’t attend the event.
Photo credits: EPIC.LAN
Clique
After a series of setbacks in the form of a top-8 finish at EPIC.LAN 37 and failure to secure promotion from Main to Advanced in ESEA playoffs, Clique are seeking vengeance from their last outing at LAN. With the recent addition of Morgan “m0g” Butler, the squad have acquired a comfortable string of wins in Main to recover from opening losses in the season, and have put together a convincing statement to take some heads at the upcoming event.
7thCore
Sporting the core of the roster who attended EPIC.LAN under K10 last year, 7thCore are aiming to turn the tides and prove themselves as worthy opposition in the UK scene. Shea “pieface” Reilly and his troops began their campaign in Main with wind in their sails, gaining 4 wins in their first four match-ups. Since then however, the team have been edged out in their subsequent games, which raises the question: will this form continue into EPIC.LAN, or will this lineup stand tall and flip the script of their ESEA journey at the event?
eMasters
The runners-up of EPIC.LAN 37 return to Kettering to do one better than their last outing. In this season of ESEA, eMasters have put up a convincing record with some very narrow losses in Main, as well as some hard fought victories. After picking up Oliver “husky” Gollings and Jack “DeXter” Hepple, the squad should have their sights set high in this tournament, and if need be, can further uphold their reputation as the kings of lower bracket runs at UK LAN events.
Vitalize
Vitalize is a team who has been handicapped by scheduling issues in the current season, restricting their chances at success and making it difficult to put forward a solid case for them at LAN. They go into EPIC.LAN as a relatively large question mark as they field Fraser “Frazehh” Sollom as their substitute AWPer for the event. With extremely limited practice throughout this season, the team looks to rely on strong individuals such as Reegan “ReegaN” Ward, who earned a 2nd place finish with eMasters at EPIC.LAN 37 back in October.
Photo credits: EPIC.LAN
Honourable mentions:
ShushGG
The mix team which took bigger names by storm only a few months ago, ShushGG are back and look poised to terrorize any team who may fall into the same bracket as them. Shuaib “shoobie” Saddique joins arms with some very capable players once again and, as the 4th place finishers at the end of last year, shoobie and company should not be underestimated as a force to be reckoned with at LAN.
25AVG
Alexander “SashAFP” Fomin makes his return to Kettering, presumably as loud as ever. As a name who strikes fear into salaried teams, he is joined by his loyal comrades as they look to take some scalps and leave a sour taste in the mouths of those who suffer bitter losses to his hands. With EPIC.LAN 38 being arguably the most stacked UK LAN in recent memory, and with perhaps some of the most salaried teams in attendance, SashAFP has a prime opportunity to create some more unforgettable moments at EPIC.LAN. Salaried to draw? Salaried to lose? What’s next?
Binmen, Binkids and Bincest
The biggest challenge for these teams once again stands tall as a seemingly insurmountable obstacle – the prospect of making it out of groups. The Binmen, a name synonymous with good times, big laughs and being double-grouped at UK LANs, have found themselves with various teams this time round. Binman Joshua “Dweg” Nathan has taken the opportunity to field international support this year, and fellow Binman Ryan “ReTr00” Bernard has initiated some new blood to support the Binmen’s cause. The big question is, will these charity chaps be able to silence the doubters and prove their capabilities by preventing another double-grouping at LAN?
Photo credits: EPIC.LAN
