Excel Esports has announced the departure of Pawel “Czekolad” Szczepanik and “Tore” Hoel from its League of Legends European Championship roster. In a statement released on Twitter, Excel said that the roster changes regarding Czekolad and Tore were done to improve team synergy and performance ahead of the LEC Summer Split. This announcement comes after rumors of Excel trying out Astralis mid-laner Erlend “Nukeduck” Holm and Misfits Gaming support Petr “Denyk” Haramach.
The organization decided to split with its mid-lane and support players after finishing eighth place in the LEC Spring Split. They ended up with a record of 7-11. The organization also stated that they had done several try-outs during the offseason. With the try-outs finished, they are confident in the new roster heading into the LEC Summer Split. After the announcement, Excel faced backlash from the LEC community for not responding to the allegations of poor treatment of the two players during the Spring Split.
Statement regarding our roster changes heading into #LEC Summer Split. pic.twitter.com/8nJDCgWHo9
— GIANTX (@GIANTXENG) May 14, 2021
Czekolad and Tore’s time with Excel in the LEC
Czekolad’s journey in the LEC with Excel, started in December 2020. The Polish mid-laner dominated the UltraLiga scene, winning the 2020 European Masters Summer event. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for the rookie mid-laner. However, Czekolad was not the biggest problem for Excel in the Spring Split. Despite being a rookie, the mid-laner showcased some of his skills and looked very promising in certain games.
Unlike Czekolad, Tore joined in December 2019 from the now-rebranded Splyce team. After an impressive display at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, Tore changed his name from Norskeren. Tore then joined Excel. He finished seventh in his first Split with the team and failed to make the Summer Playoffs. According to LEC Wooloo, Tore will start for MAD Lion’s Academy team in the next SuperLiga split.
While Czekolad and Tore weren’t necessarily the reason for Excel’s poor performance, the team has decided to look elsewhere ahead of the LEC Summer Split.
In addition, although Excel is yet to make announcements, Nukeduck and Denyk will likely be part of their LEC roster. This will mark Nukeduck’s return to professional League of Legends since taking a break in February due to personal reasons.
Published: May 14, 2021 08:30 am