King of the NACL and Collegiate Championship.
Emerging as one of North America's most promising talents, American-born Australian toplaner Jett Michael "Srtty" Joye continues to exceed all expectations. Renowned for his formidable individual skills, the 22-year-old recently shattered another record in North American League of Legends solo queue, reaching an impressive 2154 LP on the server. While FlyQuest remains a strong team in the LCS, the possibility of the rookie replacing veteran Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau sometimes in the future remains plausible...
What Could Have Been
Though Srtty has gone above and beyond this year, the recent success found by the Australian player is nothing new. In 2023, he first rose to prominence by competing on Evil Geniuses' academy squad in the NACL. Although he did not secure a title back then, he managed to impress many observers in the North American region and quickly caught the attention of numerous teams.
Fast forward to November, as reported by Sheep Esports, Srtty reached an agreement to join the organization's LCS squad. Unfortunately, the team eventually withdrew from the league alongside Golden Guardians amidst restructuring and a reduction in the league's size to 8 teams. Despite this setback, Srtty did not give up on his dreams and, despite entering the offseason market late, finally found a new home...
An Academic Golden Road?
Announced as a member of FlyQuest's academy team in the NACL and St. Louis University in the collegiate scene, Srtty quickly regained his footing and demonstrated more determination than ever. Without delay, he showcased even greater prowess, winning both the NACL Spring Regular Season and the Collegiate North Conference Group Stage. The Australian player soon solidified his reputation as one of the NACL's most consistent performers, consistently securing advantages and propelling his team forward in nearly every match. But his ascent did not stop there.
In April, Srtty impressively claimed the NACL Spring Playoffs, decisively defeating rivals Maryville University in the grand finals with a 3-0 scoreline. He repeated this success at the CLOL 2024 Championship in June, once again besting Maryville 3-1 to earn another title. As FlyQuest ramps up for the summer season, Srtty remains one of the NACL's toplaners, currently boasting a 2-1 record in the league.
The Future
About two months ago, Song "Quad" Su-hyeong, former midlaner of FlyQuest Challengers, was promoted to join the LCS, replacing former star player Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen. While it's still early to judge if this change was beneficial for the team, FlyQuest has undeniably shown a transformed performance since his addition. Now, with recent underperformances from Bwipo, fans are beginning to question if another promotion could potentially be necessary.
One thing is certain: with Srtty continuing to demonstrate his abilities and achieve more milestones, American teams would be remiss to overlook the opportunity to try out the 22-year-old player. He has the potential to become one of the most promising prospects in the NACL, akin to current 100 Thieves toplaner Rayan "Sniper" Shoura in the past.
Header Photo Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games