A longstanding member of the League of Legends competitive scene and a familiar face in North America is apparently returning to casting, bringing back his eight years of experience and insight behind the current first-place team in the LCS.
Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith, the president and chief gaming officer for FlyQuest, tweeted out his interest in joining the official broadcast for week seven of the LCS. This would mark his first official cast in four years, with PapaSmithy’s last credited broadcast role in the 2019 World Championship.
It’s likely this tweet was preplanned with the LCS to tease the Australian’s return to the desk considering how quickly the LCS account responded.
The LCS has greatly shifted the style of broadcast for the 2023 Spring Split, inviting additional talents like Raafaa and Decerux from the NA Challengers League to join the casting desk, and breaking down games in a post-game lounge.
In addition, the LCS has also involved talent outside of the LCS, including 100 Thieves co-owner and Call of Duty caster CouRage, former LCS interviewer Ovilee May, and past LCS pro Meteos, to name just a few of the content creators that have already featured on the broadcast.
Papasmithy originally worked as the general manager for 100 Thieves, holding his position for three LCS Seasons from Sep. 9, 2019, to Oct. 17, 2022. During his tenure, 100 Thieves reached three consecutive LCS finals, winning one title, and appeared at the World Championship twice before he left the organization. Papasmithy then went on to join FlyQuest in November.
After releasing their entire roster after the 2022 League season, FLY built around the bot lane with LCK superstars Prince and VicLa. The org also acquired Impact from Evil Geniuses and Spica from TSM and rounded out their roster with Eyla. Winsome stood in for the first half of the Split due to visa complications.
Week seven of the LCS starts on March 9, with FLY facing Team Liquid in the opening game of the week. FLY stands tall in first place with an 11-2 record and is currently the only North American team locked in for the playoffs.
They are the current favorite to win the 2023 LCS Spring Split.
