After an incredible start, followed by a harsh recoil, which then turned into a lackluster middle of their split, Dignitas has swapped their League of Legends Championship Series starting jungler, Jonathan "Grig" Armao, for Academy jungler, Matthew "Akaadian" Higginbotham. Akaadian and the rest of the Dignitas Academy team looked nearly invincible early in the split, but have also faltered recently. However, he may be a necessary change for the LCS squad to turn things around. 

Akaadian and Grig have an interesting history together, both being signed to TSM last year, and competing for the starting position throughout the Summer Split. Grig was the original starter during the pre-season leading up to 2019, but an injury landed Akaadian the spot. TSM eventually made it to the Finals with Akaadian at the helm, but were reverse swept by Team Liquid and missed MSI. Their failure led to TSM experimenting with both Akaadian and Grig throughout the Summer, since Grig had healed, but the team never boasted the same spark with the two splitting time.

It seemed risky to sign the two together this year for Dignitas, however, there hasn't been any evidence of the two splitting time before now, meaning this swap is likely a product of the org simply wanting to test things out since Spring is meant for changes like this. Riot changed the Worlds qualification system for NA this year, allowing LCS teams to have more flexibility and freedom in their roster movement in the Spring. 

Dignitas sits at 5-7, tied with 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, and Golden Guardians, and just one game behind Immortals, Team Liquid, and TSM. Essentially, there are seven teams fighting for the last four spots in the playoffs. Immortals and Liquid have both moved a player up as well, and we may see more teams follow as we near the end of the season and experimentation period for the region. 

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