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We’re seeing a rise in streamers playing in League of Legends tournaments because the majority of competitive players are ‘boring and dull’, according to UK LoL streamer Whatley.
He’s just joined ‘Int Quick’ as a coach, a newly formed team who are competing in the LoL UK Esports League (UKEL) 4Nations open qualifiers, and are currently 3-0.
They have UK streamers Kerberos (top lane) and Dragdar (ADC), as well as Lithuanian jungler and former Vitality Rising Bees women’s team player karinak, UK mid-lane streamer BZ and support player kittxnly, the highest-ranking woman in EU West’s solo queue rankings (see more info by League reporter Rigas here).
This team of personalities are streaming their open qualifier matches on their respective Twitch channels, and they’re the latest streamer team to make waves in UK League of Legends, following the likes of big rosters such as Caedrel’s Los Ratones and DonJake’s The Ruddy Sack.
Int Quick said in their Twitter announcement post they are ‘unquestionably the most brain damaged roster of 2025’, referring to Whatley, who survived after an horrific accident last year.
Now UK League of Legends streamer Whatley has told Esports News UK why he joined the team and why it’s been formed.
“WHY do it is the most interesting question to me,” he said. “Don’t attribute this take to my teammates, but I think 95% of pro/competitive players are BORING and DULL.
“I think over the past 5+ years of League, the vast vast majority of pro players have FAILED to create an interesting identity and brand, and actually resonate with the audience they have.
“This is potentially why LoL esports is declining in popularity in many areas, and is ultimately financially unsuccessful.
“By employing people who already have a brand and know how to resonate with an audience (streamers), you can make competitive play far more interesting to the average viewer.”
Whatley, Int Quick
“The UKEL is just the beginning, it’s pleasant to revisit the UK scene where I grew as a player before I became a more known streamer outside of it, and it’s nice to breathe some life in it, as the UK is generally very dead for most League activities compared to comparitively populated countries (e.g. France, Germany, Spain).”
As for the story behind Int Quick and the aims of the team, Whatley added: “As for the story I can’t tell you too much, I was actually the last person to be added to the team, but generally I think it’s a very Caedrel-inspired idea though.
“The aims of the team are obviously just to make content and have fun, ideally while winning. The competitive element of the team is pretty low, currently (not scrimming yet), but might increase if we get the competitive itch vs strong opponents.”
The news comes as the UKEL reported a record 53 teams taking part in its biggest-ever open qualifiers, which run until January 29th 2025.
Related article: No Arm Whatley’s no-ward challenge: UK Tahm Kench OTP top-laner reaches Master tier in League of Legends without using any wards
Get more UKEL esports news on Esports News UK here
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
