" Hartnett’s return to the LCS is the big surprise story of the split so far. After five years away, the jungler once known for both his high potential and high toxicity is back. The now 28-year-old Dardoch, who initially came into the league a whole decade ago as a 17-year-old rookie, has made his way back to
The move was surprising not only for who it involved, but also when it was made, coming three weeks into the Summer Split to suddenly replace Lawrence "
" Xu amid DIG’s rough start. With an iconic player from years past suddenly joining mid-split, the reactions to Dardoch’s return from fans, players, and analysts have largely been very positive.
A more reflective Dardoch is appreciated
One remarkable interaction Dardoch shared was with
" Doshi, sharing some meaningful words in a video released by the LCS. Dardoch dapped Dhokla up before letting him know that it was his online presence and persistent play that inspired Dardoch to grind for his return.
Dhokla’s success story mirrors much of the trajectory Dardoch has now gone through, playing years ago in the LCS, being sent down to Tier 2 play, and making it back up. Dhokla’s return to the LCS with CLG saw him underestimated, but there, and later on
, he proved he had what it takes to be an LCS mainstay. He is now playing for LYON.
Seeing Dhokla “doing his thing online… gave me the hope,” said Dardoch. And now, despite the excitement surrounding Dardoch’s return, Dignitas are being rated poorly as well. Dardoch will likely aspire to have a similar underdog comeback story and find his way back toward the top of the LCS, as Dhokla did before him.
The LCS broadcast team had a similarly interesting discussion with the returning Dardoch, bringing him alongside Emily “Emily Rand” Rand and Barento “Raz”Mohammed at the lounge after his games against LYON. Rand asked Dardoch what he would say to his younger self entering the LCS, and Dardoch replied, “Just keep your head on straight,” saying he “didn’t have the skillset as a human outside of the game” to complement his skill as a player.
Again, Dardoch displayed a lot of maturity and growth, showing he is years removed not only physically, but mentally, from the kid who once infamously stated, “Just pick me whatever, let’s just lose in peace,” in Team Liquid’s classic documentary, Breaking Point.
Dardoch was also brought onto the PROS podcast with host Jatt (Joshua Leesman) alongside fellow junglers Brandon “
“ Kenneth Espinoza. his difficulty dealing with others came from the conflict resolution style he learned growing up in Philadelphia, which he said was very different from the professional culture in California.
However, he specified that he was “not to use that as a cope,” emphasizing personal accountability first.
With a feature on PROS, time on the LCS lounge, an LCS video with Dhokla, and even a Sheep Esports interview, Dardoch’s return received a ton of attention in his first week in years back in the LCS. But can he get the wins, and secure a playoffs qualification for DIG to match all the noise?
Now slotting in mid-split and mid-season to another in a long line of struggling DIG rosters, that may be the greater challenge.
