Astralis has reportedly found its mid lane replacement for the 2023 LEC Spring Split

Astralis informed fans earlier today that mid laner Dajor won’t be playing for the organization’s League of Legends team in the upcoming LEC Spring Split and that he’ll be allowed to explore opportunities to play elsewhere.

Shortly after that announcement, League of Legends reporter Brieuc Seeger reported that former Team Vitality mid laner Lider will be joining the team next split as Dajor’s replacement—although he wasn’t the org’s first choice. 

According to Seeger’s report, Astralis also reached out to former 100 Thieves mid laner Abbedagge, but he turned the organization’s offer down. Both Abbedagge and Lider were teamless coming into the 2023 season and neither player has played a game in a sanctioned league this year.

The two mid laners each last played in North America last season, with Abbedagge taking 100T to Worlds and Lider spending most of his summer in Golden Guardians’ Academy branch.

For Lider, his reported joining of Astralis will serve as a return to Europe. He last played in the LEC in 2021, when he and Vitality reached the Summer Split playoffs that season, only to be eliminated by Fnatic in the first round of the postseason. Astralis were eliminated from the LEC Winter Split in the group stage, finishing in sixth place—the highest placement in the organization’s history. 

Lider has not officially inked a deal with Astralis as of yet, according to Seeger, although a verbal agreement has been reached by both parties. 

The 2023 LEC Spring Split will begin on March 11, with Astralis’ new roster expected to debut then.