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          Sources: Haunzter, Olleh to join Golden Guardians

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          • Jacob Wolf, ESPN Staff WriterNov 25, 2018, 07:31 PM ET
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            • Staff Writer for ESPN.com
            • Reports across multiple games, including League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Call of Duty.
            • Specializes in investigative reporting
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          Golden Guardians are finalizing transfer agreements with Team SoloMid and Team Liquid for top laner Kevin "Hauntzer" Yarnell and support Kim "Olleh" Joo-sung, sources close to the three teams told ESPN on Sunday.

          If completed, Hauntzer and Olleh will join a team that has been rebuilt around jungler Juan "Contractz" Arturo Garcia and AD carry Matthew "Deftly" Chen. On Friday, the Guardians came to terms to add former Echo Fox mid laner Henrik "Froggen" Hansen to its lineup, as reported by ESPN.

          Golden Guardians declined to comment.

          On Tuesday, Team Liquid added former Gen.G support Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in, replacing Olleh on its starting lineup. On Sunday, Team SoloMid announced the addition of former Royal Bandits top laner Sergen "Broken Blade" Çelik, stating the team would work to find a new home for Hauntzer.

          Many teams in the North American League of Legends Championship Series have made both top and support changes. But few have taken interest in either Hauntzer or Olleh, sources said, despite both being on the trade market for almost a week.

          The transfer of Hauntzer marks the end of his three-year stint with Team SoloMid, where he moved after his debut year in the League Championship Series with Gravity. Throughout 2018, particularly in the summer, Hauntzer underperformed compared to previous years. Team SoloMid failed to qualify for the League of Legends World Championship for the first time in organization history.

          Meanwhile, Olleh joined Liquid after his former team, Immortals, was not awarded a franchise slot in the North American league. Liquid went on to win two consecutive North American League Championship Series splits in 2018. But Olleh struggled to fit into the team, with reported friction between him and AD carry Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng.

          The decision to rebuild the Guardians came after the team finished last in the league for both of the 2018 splits.

          Since their season ended in August, the Guardians have made changes to its front office, relieving former team manager Daniel "dGon" Gonzales, head coach Tyler Perron and several assistant coaches.

          It has since added a new general manager, former Cloud9 manager Danan Flander, and a new head coach, former Echo Fox coach Nick "Inero" Smith.