NA's Forgotten Superstar

Everyone knows Doublelift and Sneaky as the LCS GOATS of ADC but isn't there someone we're all forgetting?
League of Legends is often a game of what have you done for me lately. Whether that's looking at LCS titles, MSI or even Worlds success.
While WildTurtle is a memorable player, he's someone that doesn't get nearly as much of the spotlight as you might expect from someone with so many accolades.
In our opinion, it's worth exploring why.
So we went deeper.
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Credits
Written and Produced by Julian 'Pastrytime' Carr & Manny Sanchez
Editing: Manny Sanchez (@msanchez_tv)
Branding & Visual Design: Kaitlyn Jang (@Oatymeals)

[@GinkgoPete]

Bro having that smile on his face constantly while having Regi breathing down his neck has to be his most impressive skill.

[@RadagastTheBrwn]

god gives his mightiest warriors his greatest trials

[@deathprocess]

Wildturtle made such a big impact on the story of the LCS (idk if it was LCS yet) when he came in, just for that he deserves to be talked about but he is just forgotten.

[@Ossyboyen22]

Both the european and north american leagues were called LCS back then. Just EU LCS and NA LCS

[@itsphuntyme4965]

I remember finding out that chaox was dropped for turtle on Skype with the boys. Those were the days

[@craig3536]

Wildturlte maybe the 3rd best adc in LCS history but he has the #1 smile in LCS history.

[@kevingbergiste7372]

Possibly in league history. Maybe only bested by Rox Peanut

[@ToTheGrave20]

Best adc in NA.

[@steffongibbs9280]

J.Tran, if you're reading this, just know that you are one of the All-Time greats of this game. 4 LCS Titles, even more Final appearances. even without the trophies, just on longevity and your professionalism alone make you better than 99% of the LCS. Be proud that no one can confidently say you weren't that guy. Cause you were/are that guy broski.

[@Insomnia99530]

Just send some random Chinese Challenger to NA and they will be as good as him if not better

[@ChaDMan97]

​@Insomnia99530 Lmao, sad but it's the reality of the skill gap NA is facing.

[@naka3339]

dude was bullied into oblivion by Reginald

[@thomastims6763]

He really was. The video of Reginald and the team in the car after a game and Reg ranting about how the loss was all Turtles fault. Turtle was just sitting there like a battered puppy while Reg was blaming everything on him. It makes me absolutely livid!

[@DrManhattanLoL]

Easily a first ballot into the North American Hall of Fame for LoL Dude outlived all his contemporaries and while he was never the MVP of any of the teams he was necessarily on during his championship runs Dude was instrumentally important and was generally considered a threat in the bot lane for years Edit: Just learned he only had 2 All Pro Appearances in his entire career which makes sense. For some context as to why this is the case, All Pro Team in LCS didn't start until Summer 2015. I believe the very first All Pro Lineup was TiP Impact, TiP Rush, TL Fenix, TL Piglet, CLG Aphromoo I don't wanna use the word "underrated" to describe WildTurtle because anyone who watched LCS since the beginning knew that he was legit Undervalued might be the best word to describe him

[@Owlsgo.owlsgo]

Consistent and a great teammate. Very rare qualities in pros these days.

[@reptileescape3619]

C9 Sneakycastroo C9 Stealthbomber I miss the good old days where you could spectate high elo games

[@shikkoba4310]

He's the player that ,only by watching him, made me a adc player

[@Moonwalker6969]

He was bullied by wukong the whole time he was in tsm.

[@alanfate09]

I thought it was Mundo.

[@sampreece]

Tahm Kench

[@CaptainBeano-lz6mm]

Pre rework urgot

[@ToTheGrave20]

Wildturtle said they were good friends, shutup with this nonsense

[@naka3339]

@@ToTheGrave20 nice try Sun Wukong

[@sunwukongmonkeyking5561]

I’ve seen Wildturtle throughout his career. His early career days with TSM was so much pressure especially around Reginald but I would say he was at his peak as in accomplishment. When he join Immortal, that was when I love watching Wildturtle the most. He was so jolly and happy around a new team and environment. He was the “flash” in Wildturtle again! Regi stop him from doing that in TSM. I love every single person in 2016 Immortals roaster! Huni, Reignover, Pobelter, Wildturtle, Adrian. I would watch every episode each week everytime Immortal posted a vlog. I loved every Immortals personality. Not cocky like TSM, No high ego like C9. Just a bunch of guys playing a game for fun and enjoyment. That’s what made them so strong! They weren’t the best skillful team like TSM or smart like CLG. They were just so great with each others chemistry and vibe that they feed off each other’s energy and work as a team. When WildTurtle joined TSM and then join FlyQuest. I saw the hunger and excitement die in his eyes. He was out of his prime and peak. He lost his spirit to play. I would always thanks him for giving me entertainment throughout my teens in high school. I’m a Adult now and life moves on. Life moves on and so does games. A Pro gaming career doesn’t last long so please cherish those little moments before it’s gone. Thanks WildTurle! For being there in part of my life!

[@koolsheen7623]

WildTurtle was a legend on the NA ladder at one point as well, surely will stand as one of the greatest ever to come from NA.

[@ShopifyRebellion]

Hey I know that guy 🐢

[@TheEsportsGarage]

👋

[@Jok3rxIdefyFATEXI]

crying 1 minute in because i remembered when he replaced chaox after subbing in the first LCS game getting a pentakill I cannot contain so much emotion and the memories of watching old league

[@Owlsgo.owlsgo]

Apparently after they returned from the match, chaox had already moved out of the house to focus on his streaming career. But too lazy even for that

[@Sasambots]

Great video, loved reliving some of LCS history. Man seeing that C9 vs MRN image brought back memories. Would love to see a story about MRNs run from ranked 5's teams to LCS. The only team that ever did.

[@Kitbats]

2016 was my first year watching LCS and I rewatched a sht ton of 2014/2015 games back in the day. Personally, I think this is peak LCS. Thanks for keeping its memory alive.

[@snekkers5600]

Started watching LCS in 2019 after getting sucked in by 2018 worlds and decided to become a FlyQuest fan. Wildturtle instantly became my favorite player. He's the GOAT

[@DrmartiniPHD]

I am so EXCITED that you guys released another episode! I truly loved the first one and shared it with all my friends. I think you guys are doing something really special here and the passion/quality you guys have behind it is amazing. Especially being able to hear Pastrytime "cast" A video brings me right back to when league was my life. Please keep up the truly incredible work, I look forward to seeing this channel grow!

[@cassiussmith5640]

Turtle helped build the LCS. A legend in the LCS scene for sure

[@colorb0mb]

man, as a tsm fan from the beginning, the wildturtle era was so special, he made that team seem so wholesome together with bjergsen, and even more so, the dominated the LCS while doing so, truly special times

[@BorisTheGoose92]

Turtle is still my favorite player of all time. His personality, his skill, and his ability to play on a variety of teams are all top tier imo.

[@DeCa796]

Turtle will forever be my favorite NA ADC, he is the goat and was there when TSM most needed him, he was the heart of the team and seen him always smile was one of the things I miss from the current LCS.

[@OneWingedRose]

I'll never forget Wildturtle and Cop, I always rooted for them, there've been a bunch of players I'll never forget and am thankful I got to watch, but for ADC it's those two I had the most fun rooting for!

[@circle_line]

Wildturtle is the Neymar of LCS. Super talented, instinctive player, that was overshadowed by the super stars of Messi (who was on the same team) and Ronaldo

[@BigNonsense]

God I love deep dives like these. Thanks for putting them out there.

[@alexandrenabais6053]

Turtle helped TSM become the greatest Western LoL org in history. A shame they aren't around anymore. And yet, apart from T1, they are still probably the most famous org in the world, with the TSM chants always making their way into arenas. He won national and international tournaments with TSM. I think there is a shoutout to be made about him actually being the best ADC in NA history. For me, he is clear of Sneaky.

[@Markosmirel32]

I was thinking Stixxay, I cannot believe I did turtle such an injustice!

[@QCmaxthebeast]

I still think it's stixxay but it depends if you value international play above all.

[@traddboom2508]

please keep making these videos. These are fantastic.

[@BasedBrooksy]

Could never forget Turtle. I remember (foolishly) as a TSM fan saying that he was better than Doublelift to my buddy a CLG fan cuz we were always winning during the early days of LCS. Once we got Doublelift that thought went out the window but as the video shows other than the GOAT himself and Sneaky, there hasn't been anyone better. For all his faults, he leads in most kills. For all his woes, he left a legacy across many teams that should be remembered even if they couldn't win the title. Those Immortals and Flyquest teams don't go as far as they did without Turtle even if he wasn't the central reason for them winning. Hell, he helped keep the 2016-17 streak of three titles for TSM alive when Doublelift went and took his hiatus. Even the 2020 season where Turtle and Flyquest placed 2nd could be a considered a bigger success for him because at least they won a game at Worlds where we(TSM) didn't. 0-6 pains. Not having Turtle on TSM always felt bad. Replacing him felt worse even when it was necessary. But TRUTHFULLY, he's always been my favorite LCS ADC. He's a core part of LCS lore and should always be remembered. It's HARD to fathom that this would ever be the case.

[@logs2002]

WIld turtle on FLyquest in 2020 making it to world will always be one of my hypest moments.

[@dommercer3341]

Pastry, this series is underrated... we love!

[@nyadam_uwu]

Even his short tenures back in recent seasons shows he still has LCS form

[@connorowen2348]

Turtle has always been my favorite player in the LCS. Truly underrated and undervalued

[@phantomgg7790]

I think one thing that hurt turtle in the long term of his carreer was the fact he started when the standards needed to be a challenger were actually pretty low. OG Challengers if they never improved would honestly be around low diamond level by modern standards. Naturally though most challengers were able to adapt and keep up with the times and stay in challenger level, but as more new blood came in, wild turtle was no longer able to play this "yeah im better than you and I know it" play style. That was his whole reason for flashing aggressively, for he knew he was better than you and could out play you, but than people joined the LCS who were simply on his level and this strat just wasn't doable anymore as an ADC.

[@psy_99]

WildTurtle was my favorite ADC ever since that pentakill

[@kevingbergiste7372]

That 17-1 IMT run was insane. Lord watching reignover

[@MacDaAce]

This guys smile is unforgettable!

[@josephsmith23127]

Nah all the Regi meatriders can fade into obscurity

[@leolor9328]

He was always a fan favorite, such a good and charming person

[@TheAnimeHistorian98]

WildTurtle was the reason I started playing ADC loved watching him play when I was younger

[@shaneoblack1672]

Nothing was funnier than watching Chaox get his career ended by WildTurtle in his 1st game on stage.

[@Laaj_Faaj]

WildTurtle is an NA/LCS legend. Even as a CLG fan, I loved watching WildTurtle play. I don't even think he's washed; he could easily come back and play, like Doublelift.

[@TheEsportsGarage]

We can only Prayge for a Turtle comeback.

[@moonage_]

bruh, I've always loved wildturtle. he got me into ADC man, watching him kite an Evelynn with Lucian enticed me into the role. then him on Immortals with olleh I think? or Ignar? not sure but his Kalista with Soraka was something else

[@rocklee2282]

You weren’t even close it was Adrian on immortals

[@ralphjohnticsay8771]

you had the wrong batch, i think when turtle was in immortals it was the huni reignover pobelter group

[@moonage_]

@@rocklee2282 right LMFAO i completely forgot

[@hellowill]

How is DL better than Wildturtle? Turtle won 3 LCS before DL even won once. Then he has TSM's best showing at worlds (S4), back when DL couldn't even qualify.

[@Tomatofarmer123]

R u fucking dumb? Maybe cus dlift has more trophies? And won on three different teams? And won four times in a row? Imagine even entertaining this thought

[@jadetrentrichards255]

Wildturtle is a legend to mr and ill never forget him

[@janjhp]

I might forget about LCS one day but I will never forget who Wildturtle was. He's a legend! Really like the video and the production. In some parts the music is a bit to loud which makes it harder to listen to Pastrytime. But perhaps its just me, because I am not native in English ^^

[@outofsyncsamurai]

Honestly I spent this whole split expecting Turtle to get subbed in again since Shopify was struggling so bad.

[@Jasongy827]

I still watch wild turtle when he is playing amazing adc player

[@JustAWoney]

Legit looking at the thumbnail I was like "Fuck I forgot his name..."

[@kookookachooifcate]

My first game i ever saw was Turtles first game on TSM and i was hooked. Idc who everyone else picks hes my GOAT

[@M0rterror]

Wild turtle was always my favorite LCS adc player

[@bornwild1010]

i ain't forget, saw dude at a festival super chill

[@マジック-p4h]

As a new league player who hasn’t played for long this is the first time I heard this name

[@hiurro]

Wildturtle was my favorite player back in the day. I remember watching him back before Bjergson joined when he really did feel like the reason they were winning all their games. Still loved him after that as well (he even got me to watch clg games, no matter how sad it made me) It's too bad he feels overshadowed by his own teammate, but I also feel like it was inevitable. Maybe my memory is flawed but that was a time when the balance of League as a whole was shifting away from ADC being the strongest role. So Bjerg shows up at the right time to be the best player on the new rockstar role.

[@hamburgerlover9825]

2016 Immortals is probably the best LCS team to never go to worlds. 2020 C9 was great in spring but they had been showing signs of weakness way before summer playoffs. Going 33-3 regular split all year and missing worlds is crazy.

[@hamburgerlover9825]

i know they technically lost 10 games in summer but still. i guess they just really sucked in playoffs

[@avinashnc919]

love you guy's content sm, excited to see more

[@hiitmeed8385]

Seeing his aggressive Corki Ws and hearing the casters yell " Wild Turtle with the equalizer" was so hype

[@xallinav6026]

In my opinion, the less he smiled over the years the more his in game skills started to deteriorate. I loved watching turtle, both LCS and his streams. Last I watched him stream he just seemed so burned out and done. His first few years he just seemed happy to play. Doublelift was the reason I started playing ADC, and Turtle was the reason I kept playing ADC.

[@masterpete332]

I honestly think he was a better player than either Sneaky or Doublelift, the way he had to always weakside but somehow still be an adc that can change a teamfight later was something I didn't think Doublelift or Sneaky could do if ever weaksided the way he was. He also didn't fold as hard on the international stage against some of the top ADC's in the world.

[@jiali6028]

Wildturtle was a huge part of TSM back in days. He saved the team so many times and played the role TSM needed. TSM didn't need another "superstar", they needed someone who can be flexible. On the other hand, Doublelift was a huge bait and let down. TSM with DL powered through NA teams through mechanics and lane phase but did absolutely nothing on the international stage. International teams were much better at macro and mechanics so DL had nothing to show in lane or late game. DL was famous for getting caught out and lose everything for the team. Even teams from lower tier regions had more success.

[@daben7145]

I watched LoL e-sport mostly in season 3-6 so I remember him pretty good.

[@TheUliShow]

While no one will ever forget his crazy ult steal, he was commonly known for his horrible positioning that kept losing his team games... Can't remember if it was 2015 or 2016 spring split but he literally flashed into enemy base solo to kill supp for no reason

[@famip3679]

Reginald should actually be in jail for what he did to players

[@StateOfShock]

my first memories of turtle are watching him play lucian and is the reason lucian is my fav champ and the reason tsm was my favorite team

[@FukoHasStarfish]

I played with turtle a couple years ago in solo queue. To date he is still my favorite pro second only to Bjergsen.

[@tokkami]

as you can notice the worldclass talent and good looking Michael "Imaqtpie" Santana is missing from this discussion making im the true forgotten superstar

[@danielhu4213]

Wildturtle easily best adc in nalcs history

[@apblolol]

wild turtle, pobelter, afromoo, hai are my goats

[@Lytann]

At least turtle got enough recognition to be on stage during the LCS championships 2024 send off. He did a lot for the early days of "elo hell" league showing you can climb the ladder if you have the skill; multiple times.

[@obiwankanoki3343]

I love WT bro was always so happy playing

[@gary9477]

Wildturtle inspired lots of us try to main adc

[@benoitgagnon1258]

Its crazy that LCS has been long enough for us to have players like this.

[@jalm.]

I remember watching the TSM vs TIP jinx ult dragon steal live. And I'm from europe, watching with friends on skype. The LCS was must watch.

[@baronnashor158]

My Favorite ADC all time.

[@nosamtrebmal]

I still have a Wildturtle Seaquest jersey. Love that era

[@shaerigir88]

Turtle literally performed better than DL every single worlds he attended. In fact most of the time I used to watch old TSM, turtle was the only one performing well at worlds. His laning was nothing special but his team fighting was good for sure.

[@Chonkiez]

I do believe turtle had far better accolades than sneaky/DL until 2018, thats where the margin kinda separated, while turtle was team hoping/finding a proper home, DL was winning B2B titles consistently, and sneaky was also runner up for the majority of DLs LCS runs, ontop of that, sneaky has gotten out of groups a few times, something DL has never done before, turtle also got out of groups once as well in 2014. But yes, turtle is a solid #3 ADC of all time in the region.

[@Philllin]

damn i forgot how much teams LCS used to have. Those were the most exciting times.

[@gengar90]

Wildturtle and bjergsen are gods in my eyes

[@syrus3657]

Best smile in all of LoL.

[@livingreverie5951]

2020 spring wasn’t really Turtle and Fly’s fault, nah C9 were going into that season for everyone’s throat, especially how Zven (C9’s at the time ADC) was nearly going to break the record for the longest high kill and undying ADC across various games Zven died to DIG diving 3 on 2 with Orianna Ult for just him before he could

[@FrazeFlilms]

I remember back in TSM's prime I Bought a TSM hoodie and decided on Wildturtle Over Bjergsen on the back because I felt he was underrated!

[@mattbaca1461]

my favorite player of all LCS

[@fncam980]

From a dude who watch lec and some games of na i can tell you that i like turtle

[@gamma_0216]

TBF 13:55 that was a insanely strong C9 roster.

[@raphaelstar6488]

I have to be honest, I am not from NA, but I have seen every single one of his international performances and he has always been an inter. He goes forward, and if he is ahead, that looks great (unless he faces really good teams) and if not ahead, he dies.

[@KingR098]

Excellent video. Turtle was quite unlucky in some ways

[@Voltaid]

The man, the myth, WILDTURKEY

[@mike210294]

its funny that turtle gets knocked for only winning titles on tsm well sneaky gets praised for only every getting it done on c9 with less titles, I put turtle above sneaky. sure sneaky had the miracle run at worlds to semi finals but it was off the back of Jensen and svenskaren. c9 semi finals at worlds, clg msi finals, and tsm IEM win are all pretty much the same. sure its just an IEM but they actually won the international tournament vs the others just making it far. makes no sense putting sneaky above turtle IMO sneaky never left c9 was never tested on any other team was only a roll player everything yall dinging turtle for but worse its insane.

[@kevingoya7665]

What made doublelift the number one goat in the adc role he won his title with supper team too

[@TheEsportsGarage]

I think the winning eight times (on three different teams) which is more than anyone else ever in the LCS thing has done a lot for his GOAT convo.

[@flameofthegame]

I'd assume the 4th and 5th are Stixxay and Zven?

[@TheEsportsGarage]

Stixxay is an interesting player, probably worth making a video on at some point tbh.

[@KaiHydra]

​@@TheEsportsGaragestixxay is such an interesting player because when he peaked it didn't seem like he had any rivals, but he never managed to catch one bit of it back

[@Tamahome109]

I swear when Kai'sa was released and I read her ultimate, I thought they made it specifically for WildTurtle lol. Always has my respect!

[@TheEsportsGarage]

And then that Uzi guy won MSI shortly after, kinda suss.

[@jons1278]

In my case, its because I only started watching the LCS after WildTurtle was put on weak teams. So I had no idea he had a storied history

[@yonchrr]

I didnt forget.

[@zacharialopez4284]

great content, earned a sub

[@danielpadilla5488]

I NEED more videos!!! Man this content is really Good. i used to be a great lcs fan back then. now competitive lol has become kinda boring.

[@nathanrodriguez8870]

While not a 1:1 comparison, it’s almost as if Doublelift was Tom Brady & Turtle was Peyton Manning.

[@GinkgoPete]

I totally forgot that IgnaR was also on that FLY roster. Dude just clicks with every ADC I swear.

[@TheEsportsGarage]

Ignar kinda the silent trophy collector tbh

[@JT-xn9ei]

Yeah, never at the forefront despite the flashforward. Plenty of memorability though if you watched the league since the early days. He's probably harder to root for with negative recency bias. The substitution, the Tristana play, the copypasta, the smile.

[@Chloryns]

did we forgot Stixxay ? he was also there for a long time and contributed a lot.

[@PandaRulzs]

Please do a video on team Marn. Such a a good story and loads to talk about !

[@TheEsportsGarage]

One day I will convince Pastry to let me make the MRN video - Manny

[@wolfehlol774]

​@TheEsportsGarage Please do make the MRN video. I loved Megazero, and Nientonsoh along with Ecco, ClakeyD, and Heartbeat.

[@PandaRulzs]

@@TheEsportsGarage so many of the season 3-5 lcs/ eu lcs teams have great stories . Mrn , complexity and then complexity black , Dragonborns , team 8 and calitrollz stopping school to play for 1 year professionally. All great stuff 😁