Team BDS have reached an agreement with MAD Lions in order to buyout mid laner Steven “Reeker” Chen from the League of Legends European Championship team, sources told Upcomer. Reeker will compete with Team BDS Academy in the Ligue Française de League of Legends and will replace mid laner Francisco José “Xico” Cruz Antunes.
Reeker competed this Spring Split with MAD Lions in the LEC, finishing seventh place with an 8-10 record and missing playoffs. Considering MAD Lions won both LEC titles in 2021, this was a step down for the team. MAD Lions have, as a consequence, replaced Reeker with Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer, as report by Upcomer.
Team BDS have competed in the LFL since 2021 and in the LEC since this year. While Reeker will be competing in the LFL, the possibility for a promotion to the main team in the future might have motivated the decision to join.
Otherwise, Spanish team KOI were also interested in the German mid laner. KOI attempted negotiations with MAD Lions over the buyout, and while an agreement had almost been reached, Reeker decided to join BDS Academy instead.
This spring split, Team BDS Academy finished second place in the LFL, losing with a score of 2-3 in the LFL finals against LDLC OL. However, BDS Academy disappointed at EU Masters as they were eliminated from groups with a score of 2-4. However, the decision to commit to Reeker was decided before that end result.
Reeker wasn’t the only option BDS Academy considered to replace Xico. They also attempted to buyout mid laner Dimitri “Diplex” Ponomarev from Vitality.Bee.
Both Team BDS LEC’s team and academy team will be practicing in South-Korea this offseason, sources added.
Published: Apr 25, 2022 12:24 pm