Sources: Comp, Empyros set to join Gentle Mates in LFL

Gentle Mates' first two recruits for the upcoming LFL season are Greek players: according to Sheep Esports sources, the organization has reached a verbal agreement with AD Carry Markos “Comp” Stamkopoulos and toplaner Panagiotis “Empyros” Tantis. But they bring very different profiles to the team. Comp is a well-established name in the French and European League of Legends scene. He was with Team LDLC as early as 2018, before the LFL even existed, and helped the team win the first two splits of the French championship in 2019. He later had his first steps in the LEC with Team Vitality in the Spring Split of 2020.

For the past four years, Comp has been competing at the highest level of the European League of Legends. His early days with Vitality were challenging, and he didn’t play during the 2021 Summer Split. However, he made a remarkable return to the LEC in 2022 with Rogue, where he transformed into one of the best AD Carries in the league. That year, Rogue became Europe’s top team, thanks largely to Comp’s outstanding performances. The team reached the Spring finals and won the Summer Split. Rogue’s stellar 2022 season culminated in a quarter-final finish at Worlds, where they were the only remaining Western team.

However, 2023 proved to be more difficult. Comp's performance declined, partly due to a drop in form from his jungler, Kim “Malrang” Geun-seong. As a result, Rogue's standing in the LEC deteriorated throughout the year. The team finished 3rd in Winter, dropped to 6th in Spring, and fell to 8th in Summer. Despite these setbacks, the organization retained Comp for the 2024 season and paired him with new support, Théo “Zoelys” Le Scorned. Unfortunately, the experiment failed, and Rogue ended 2024 as the worst team in the LEC, finishing 9th in Winter and Spring, and 10th in Summer.

With Rogue's future in the LEC uncertain, Comp is returning to his roots. He’s not only rejoining the LFL, but also reconnecting with former LDLC management, Léo “Lounet” Maurice (General Manager) and Anthony Rabby (Esports Director) at Gentle Mates, as previously reported by Sheep Esports. According to our information, Khalil "Rin" Sahraoui was the second option of Gentle Mates for the AD Carry position.

For his part, Empyros has had several stints in the European scene under the name of JaxPlank. He has competed in the GLL (Greece) with teams like Pyrsos Esports, Gamespace MCE, Anorthosis Esports, and WLGaming, before moving to the NLC (Northern League) with Riddle Esports in Summer 2022. In 2023, he changed his name and joined Dsyre in the PG Nationals (Italy), which became LIT in 2024. Over the past two years, he has come close to winning the LIT title multiple times, finally claiming it in Spring 2024. Dsyre finished 3rd in Spring 2023 and lost the Summer Split finals in both 2023 and 2024 to Macko Esports.

At Gentle Mates, Comp and Empyros will be tasked with reviving the team’s performance. M8’s first season in League of Legends was underwhelming. Despite a star-studded roster, their third-place finish in the Spring Split was considered fortunate, given the team's inconsistency. Their struggles continued in the Summer Split, where they finished 8th. Corentin “Gotaga” Houssein, one of the club’s co-founders alongside Lucas “Squeezie” Hauchard and Kevin “Brakws” Georges, has openly stated that the club was uncertain about continuing its journey in Riot Games' MOBA. Comp and Empyros will need to prove that the organization’s decision to remain was the right one.