One of the most anticipated moves of the League of Legends offseason is complete.
Erlend “nukeduck” Våtevik Holm has joined ROCCAT, finalizing the roster of one of the best teams in Europe.
Holm returns to the League Championship Series after a tumultuous year outside it.
The Norwegian mid laner represented Europe on the world stage as a member of Lemondogs in 2013, leading them to the top of the LCS standings with an 18-10 record in the Summer split. But in 2014, Holm failed to return to the LCS as a member of Ninjas in Pyjamas, despite the team’s reputation as an LCS caliber squad. In June, Holm was suspended from League competition due to toxic behavior. In December, Riot lift Holm’s suspension, putting a talented mid laner on the free agent market.
ROCCAT brings Holm back to the greatest League of Legends competition on the globe where his talent on mid lane assassins should be a boon to the team.
“I’m delighted to have found a professional and determined team to take part in the LCS,” Holm said. “I promise Team ROCCAT fans that I’ll give nothing but my all in every match.”
ROCCAT put together an inconsistent 2014 in part due to the lack of true carry talents in the lineup save from the jungle position, where Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski established himself as perhaps the best in Europe. The addition of Holm and young marksman Paweł “Woolite” Pruski, who joined the team late in October, should alleviate some of those issues.
The team most recently competed at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne on Dec 21, entering the tournament as nominal favorites while playing with Korean mid laner Ryu Sang-wok as a substitute. But Ryu clearly lacked synergy with the team, who fell to Counter Logic Gaming in the semifinals of the tournament. That opened the door for Holm, who was already rumored to be the frontrunner for the mid lane position.
With Holm in tow, the sky’s the limit for ROCCAT. They’ll enter the Spring Split, set to begin on Jan. 22, as one of the favorites to top the standings in Europe after an offseason that bolstered the cast around star talents Jankowksi and support Oskar “VandeR” Bogdan.
Image via ROCCAT
