Coussinho

22. 🇫🇷 Head of Manager ACL/NACLOQ @deathmarkesport 🧸 disc : coussinhoo
@karsiakk

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

Congrats to Cupid eSports, all the best to them in the NACL. This isn't against them.

But there's a big question mark around this situation. The Promotion Tournament just wrapped, six teams played it on the Rift for these spots, and now we learn a slot is changing hands to a team that didn't take part, with no communication beforehand.

In 2025, when Near Airport left the league, the freed slot went to the third place team of the Promotion Tournament, Jolly Rogers, a team that earned it in competition. That precedent is what makes this current situation hard to understand.

Honestly, at a certain point, it makes you wonder why invest in the long term at all. At this rate, you might as well skip the month and a half of Open Qualifier and Promotion Tournament and just wait for a team to drop out to pick up a spot. Working for months with players, coaching and encouraging them from the start to the end of their journey, only to find out news like this overnight at the end of a tournament, it leaves those players in complete disappointment and confusion. And it sends a strange message to every org and every player who puts real time and heart into the path to pro.

Maybe there's context we don't know about, that's possible. But out of respect for the players who fought to the very end, we at least deserve an explanation, and ideally to be kept in the loop before decisions like this drop.

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

It’s hard to understand why this player isn't in the NACL yet or seriously being considered for tryouts. He’s been one of the best Tier 3 supports for quite some time now on top of being a hard worker with a great personality and mindset.

[InFlame @InFlame_lol]

LF NACL Tryouts

I have been working on my skillsets and reviewing VODs in my down time. Ready to compete and looking for an opportunity to prove myself.

[DeathMark E-Sports @DeathMarkEsport]

Due to the delayed start of the ACL Summer season, the application period has been extended until July 2nd!

-> https://t.co/lLFQZBuTZI

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

We touched something great, just long enough to never forget it. What a MIRACLE run...

[DeathMark E-Sports @DeathMarkEsport]

One team. One run. Zero checks.

What a ride. We'll be back stronger and better prepared. This was just the start of you hearing about us. #NACL

[Good Boi @lolgoodboi]

GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY WITH BEST ADC QC (good boi) 😍

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

It's time to apply, a single objective with its months of preparations the NACL and through the big door. 💲

[DeathMark E-Sports @DeathMarkEsport]

Back to Work - Combines Open

A few days ago, we fell in the Promote Tournament finals in NACL. It stung, but it only sharpened what we’re chasing. We’ve got one objective now: go back, and send the ones who deserve it.

We’re opening combines for prospects / NACL aspirants for ACL Summer / ACL Fall → OQ early 2027. Why the long timeline? One-time projects and rosters that only last a month and a half aren’t viable. We want to work long-term with a roster that’s prepared well in advance to lock in its spot in the NACL.

Combines are open, but moving fast over the next 72h, profiles will already be contacted and analyzed for the earliest possible start. If you want in, now’s the time.

We’re also looking for aspiring coaches who want to step into the Head Coach role, and this is the time to prove you’ve got it. The goal is to build a clear structure and environment for the players, where everyone knows their role and can develop.

This is the run. Prove you belong.

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@GerrahLoL @_Beora @Seanatonin_ @OwenPLoL AHAHAH je te jure toujours tout de suspect

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

I don't think it's a bad thing it's what keeps Tier 2 alive and probably esports as a whole. The big problem is communication and unwritten rules, or what happens behind the scenes. And that things like that come out at rather suspicious times, with a suspenseful question mark over the situation.

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

Congrats to Cupid eSports, all the best to them in the NACL. This isn't against them.

But there's a big question mark around this situation. The Promotion Tournament just wrapped, six teams played it on the Rift for these spots, and now we learn a slot is changing hands to a team that didn't take part, with no communication beforehand.

In 2025, when Near Airport left the league, the freed slot went to the third place team of the Promotion Tournament, Jolly Rogers, a team that earned it in competition. That precedent is what makes this current situation hard to understand.

Honestly, at a certain point, it makes you wonder why invest in the long term at all. At this rate, you might as well skip the month and a half of Open Qualifier and Promotion Tournament and just wait for a team to drop out to pick up a spot. Working for months with players, coaching and encouraging them from the start to the end of their journey, only to find out news like this overnight at the end of a tournament, it leaves those players in complete disappointment and confusion. And it sends a strange message to every org and every player who puts real time and heart into the path to pro.

Maybe there's context we don't know about, that's possible. But out of respect for the players who fought to the very end, we at least deserve an explanation, and ideally to be kept in the loop before decisions like this drop.

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@_Beora @Seanatonin_ @OwenPLoL Well, if that's the point here, then yes, my long paragraphs like that, I have him translate my texts from French to English to make sure the translator doesn't distort my words

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@OwenPLoL Well I think we have our final answer...

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@BCollamer @HommyAG @DShyKnock @Whoopley @TheeMarkZ I think we have the answer..

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

Owen, I'm going to be blunt, because your reply puts the finger on exactly what's wrong here.

What you're describing is a sale where multiple organizations and brands were approached, evaluated and put in competition to take over the spot, until the "best option" was kept. In plain terms, a private auction for a NACL slot. So there really was a competition for that spot, it just wasn't played out on the Rift, but inside a very closed circle, where only a few insiders even knew it was a possibility. No statement, no official, just word of mouth reserved for the right people.

And that's where it hurts. We just lost a final, came within arm's reach of a real stepping stone, and a few hours later the messages explode about what's going on behind the scenes in the NACL. Barely the day after the promo ended, the slot announcement drops. Not even through an official statement. By the buyers themselves.

And I'm not just speaking for my players. I'm speaking for everyone who dreams of going pro, who has NACL or LCS dreams. Because for a lot of them it's not about cash, it's a path of development, a goal they're trying to reach, a dream they pour months of real work into. And all those people learn how the scene actually works through Twitter statements, because that's become the only way to make things move, to force people to talk publicly and untangle what's really happening behind the curtain.

So let's recap. A path to pro that gets sold privately, rules that exist in no public document, Riot facilitating, a process known to a small circle, zero transparency, and the announcement left to the buyers while we're still taking the loss.

I hear the argument that maybe what's being bought is "the SN entity" and not literally the spot, but that's exactly where everything gets murky. Because the announcements themselves talk about a slot acquisition. And in terms of product, what SN concretely has on its brand is a NACL spot. So whether you call it a brand acquisition or a slot acquisition, in reality the only thing of competitive value changing hands is the spot.

I have nothing against Cupid and SN. It's not them I'm addressing, it's the process. But really, what image does this project? Not for the official path, I've already made that point. I'm talking about the image of the league itself, its stability, the direction it's heading for the future. When a spot can be settled behind closed doors, with no communication, barely the day after an official tournament ends, the message it sends about the strength and the future of the NACL is frankly terrifying. Really, what image?

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@Seanatonin_ @bully_lol man....

[ThinUnclePhil @ThinUnclePhil]

Aight fuck it, @Whoopley would u care to at least put a statement out on whats going on? Over the years ive come to expect absolutely fuckall from u and im still disappointed. Usually u at least tweet somethinf so do it. ATP u are as useful to the scene as tarzaned.

[Alex G @HommyAG]

"Riot Games" and "incompetent morons" have been synonyms for a long time, yes this means you @Whoopley 🫵 #NACL

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@MaplePrism @bully_lol @TrashmanakaaLoL @Normologys @ThinUnclePhil @GerrahLoL It has become really hard to try to establish and grow in esports and on top of that if riot breaks the legs of everyone in the curriculum by mixing billions above our heads it will end up dying

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@MaplePrism @bully_lol @TrashmanakaaLoL @Normologys @ThinUnclePhil @GerrahLoL Maybe things will finally move..

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@ThinUnclePhil @milianalol @GerrahLoL The worst thing is that it will never happen if it doesn't affect the superstars the T2/T3 and leaves abandoned by riot

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

@ThinUnclePhil Yes maybe I lacked information but in my opinion there is a big lack of trying to maintain a survival of the T2 and communication to help others try to integrate or better understand the interior of the NACL

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

I just want to add one thing. I have no hatred toward anyone, and I don’t feel we’re owed anything either. On the contrary, the most beautiful thing is to make the full run and earn your place. I just want us to move toward an esport with healthy communication and a healthy environment, where you can plan ahead, grow your org and your structure, and give your players the best tools to succeed. Because at the end of the day, we all have clear ideas and goals, built around what Riot is creating. That’s what we want to protect.

[Coussinho @coussinhoo]

Congrats to Cupid eSports, all the best to them in the NACL. This isn't against them.

But there's a big question mark around this situation. The Promotion Tournament just wrapped, six teams played it on the Rift for these spots, and now we learn a slot is changing hands to a team that didn't take part, with no communication beforehand.

In 2025, when Near Airport left the league, the freed slot went to the third place team of the Promotion Tournament, Jolly Rogers, a team that earned it in competition. That precedent is what makes this current situation hard to understand.

Honestly, at a certain point, it makes you wonder why invest in the long term at all. At this rate, you might as well skip the month and a half of Open Qualifier and Promotion Tournament and just wait for a team to drop out to pick up a spot. Working for months with players, coaching and encouraging them from the start to the end of their journey, only to find out news like this overnight at the end of a tournament, it leaves those players in complete disappointment and confusion. And it sends a strange message to every org and every player who puts real time and heart into the path to pro.

Maybe there's context we don't know about, that's possible. But out of respect for the players who fought to the very end, we at least deserve an explanation, and ideally to be kept in the loop before decisions like this drop.