Thank You, Dardoch

December 01 2016

Just a little over one year ago, Team Liquid would set their eyes on a League of Legends player that packed more talent than we've seen in a long time. Joshua "Dardoch" Hartnett came in as a young prodigy, thrust from ranked play straight into the Academy. Then, within 3 months, he saw himself on the starting roster of a team that was built on the foundation of expectations. Dardoch exceeded the expectations of many as he came into his own in 2016 and became one the best players in North America.

Our team persevered through this season of adjustments, and we saw a lot of growth from our players inside and out of the game. Dardoch improved immensely during his time on Liquid; we saw great strides in both his play and his personality. It was certainly a memorable year with Dardoch, and his growing bond with Luorlo was a source of many touching moments.

This is news that many have been expecting for a while, and now, it becomes official. We're happy to announced that we've found Dardoch a new home. We know that the sky is the limit for Joshua, and we look forward to meeting him again, though it will be on opposite sides of the Rift.

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"I'm just really grateful for all the opportunities that TL gave me.

Thank you to everybody who supported me especially on, like, TL fans and everybody who put up with me when I was kinda giving the org a bad rep. Trash talking when I knew we would lose and just kinda adding hype to the game, instead of, you know, looking out for my teammates and my organization. I hope you guys follow me to my new team. "

-Joshua "Dardoch" Hartnett

"Since Josh joined Liquid he has been highly competitive, motivated and driven to win which has turned him into a top jungler in NA. I wish him all the best with his future career and am excited to see him play with his new organization in 2017."

-Steve "LiQuid112" Arhancet

"It was a pleasure to work with Dardoch for over a year. We started in Team Liquid Academy and worked our way up together, learning and growing in our roles. I've had a lot of good experiences coaching him, and I'll always cherish those memories. I wish Dardoch good luck moving forward, and I know that he'll fulfill his potential. "

-David "DLim" Lim

"“If I wasn’t playing video games professionally, I’d be trying to play video games professionally.”

Those words struck me. I asked about a Plan B should a gaming career fall under, but he said those words and paused. That was it. Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett may be young—an 18-year old with many years ahead of him--but he exudes confidence and drive, like James Bond fused with Rocky Balboa. He unpauses, and with his strikingly deep voice, something like a maskless Vader, he tells me more.

“I’m sacrificing a lot to do this. I started in NACS basically for absolutely nothing other than maybe some exposure but I enjoyed it. I really liked it and kept going. College will always be there, but how often can you say you played video games professionally?”

Read the rest of "Dardoch's Ambition"

As an indelible part of Team Liquid over the past year, Dardoch has had many amazing moments in the white and blue. We've made many great memories with Joshua—and yes, there were some painful ones too—some that we're unlikely to forget any time soon. These were just a few of his finest (and funniest) moments with Liquid.

Thank You, Dardoch

Dardoch's first big moment: Penta Kill in HTC Ascension

The Cleanest Lee Sin in NA

Duo Queue: Dardoch and Luorlo

Team Liquid Academy: The After Years

4th Place at NA LCS in Las Vegas

The Streams and the Memes