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Contractz, the Boy That Would Be King
A promising flame borne from smoldering embers, Contractz hopes to be the next all-star jungler.
Juan Arturo "Contractz" Garcia
© Cassandra Marshall
When it comes to League of Legends, Spring 2016 is the season of the jungler. The names on everyone's lips? Reignover, Dardoch, Rush, Svenskeren; the list goes on. There's one young jungler who hopes that he can list his name among the elite. Juan “Contractz” Garcia had a brush with the big time while playing on the North American Challenger team Ember, and now he’s hungry to push past the next set of challenges and make it into the LCS.
Take a moment to imagine: you’ve beaten the odds, and you’re currently making $70,000 a year at your dream job. There’s room for upwards mobility, talk of expansion, and then one day you get the call that it’s all over. You’re back on your own.
That would be a gut punch for an established adult, but imagine going through that roller coaster at seventeen years old.
That was the position that Juan “Contractz” Garcia found himself in after Team Ember was knocked out of the North American Challenger Playoffs by Team Dragon Knights in a decisive 3-1 series. Team Ember, a North American Challenger team run by ex-Rioters and funded by venture capitalists, had signed Contractz early on as part of their mission statement to foster North American talent and treat young players like valued professionals.
Contractz grew up in Redwood City, California, and started playing League in early Season 2. After playing for a few years, he realized that he had the potential to go competitive, and that became his ultimate goal. Going professional is a difficult choice at the best of times, and it has necessitated a plan B for notable names within the scene. Steven “Calitrolz” Kim stepped away from pharmacy school to play in the LCS, then returned to his education after a year. Alan "KiWiKiD" Nguyen plans to return to his engineering degree now that Dignitas has been knocked out of the LCS.
Contractz is a young talent with tons of promise
© [unknown]
While Contractz has the benefit of being both young and supported by his family, it still hasn’t been an easy road. Before Team Ember, he played with another challenger squad, Team Zenith. It was there that he eked out a reputation as a young player loaded with potential. When he made it to Team Ember, he doubled down and worked harder to get his team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, while his age was an asset, it was also a major obstacle. When Ember players subbed out for LCS teams Echo Fox and the Renegades, Contractz had to watch from the crowd, knowing that he was separated only by a year from being up there with his team.
The Challenger Playoffs didn’t have the same age restriction, but Ember was preparing for their promotion already. They signed Lucas “Santorin” Larsen, formerly of TSM, and prepared to build a challenger team around Contractz in the coming season.
“The fact that my team didn't play me in playoffs hurts pretty bad, but I know why they didn't.” Contractz says, a team player to the last. After watching his teammates take the LCS stage, he also had to watch them go down to the Dragon Knights. The series would prove to be the death blow for the organization; everyone but Contractz was released, and Ember’s Challenger seed and his contract were up for sale.
“I was super surprised by the news of everyone being released, just in shock.” Contractz says about the day Ember was extinguished. The players didn’t have much forewarning; they found out nearly in tandem with fans.
It’s unsurprising that the organization saw Contractz as one of their biggest financial assets -- shortly after their announcement, Liquid’s jungler Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett was named rookie of the split. Dardoch proved he deserved the acclaim by tearing through NRG on Lee Sin during the Spring Playoffs.
Contractz hopes that, if he can play his cards right, he’ll have a similar rookie experience: “I was a big fan of Dardoch's jungling ever since he was on TLA. He has given me the roughest times when jungling vs him in challenger. Seems like he was my only real competition, so I wasn't surprised to see him owning people in LCS.” he admits.
“The Ember experience just motivates me even more to get into LCS.” Contractz says. His short stint with the organization before its end has only encouraged him to keep trying: “I'm not skeptical of organizations. [Ember] treated the whole team extremely well and wanted us to succeed. It wouldn't have been possible without them, they have all my respect.”
Taking a shot at the LCS stage is always a risky goal, but Contractz refuses to back down. “As long as I keep improving day by day, I don’t see it not being possible.” he says about his ambitions. In a Split where North American rookies have been stepping up and performing alongside veterans, his dreams don’t appear too distant.
In a world where eSports are becoming increasingly accessible and legitimate, it can still be difficult for talented players to find a solid roster they can call home. Countless pros have stopped chasing that dream after struggling through the Challenger circuit. Contractz is determined to keep forging forward: “I'm going to work my hardest to prove I can compete with NA's best.” he says with his trademark quiet confidence.
Only time will tell whether Contractz will be the next big rookie on the LCS stage -- but his journey so far has proved that he has what it takes, and come hell or high water, he’ll do his best to make it there.
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