Sources: Nisqy set to join Team Vitality as support, Hylissang moves to the bench

BENCHSQY is no more. Sources have told Sheep Esports that Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer is set to return to competitive play, having reached an agreement with Team Vitality’s LEC team on Wednesday. After being dropped by SK Gaming at the end of 2024, the Belgian-Turkish player had the opportunity to compete in the LTA with Shopify Rebellion but ultimately backed out of the verbal agreement, opting instead for a winter break. Now, he is set to return for the Spring Split—but the real shock comes from his decision to role-swap to support, replacing none other than his former teammate from Fnatic and MAD Lions, Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov.

With the LEC resuming and the Spring Split set to kick off on March 29, Nisqy has less than a month to acclimate to his new role. For over ten days, he has been training for his new role in Solo Q, and as of midday on March 5, he had accumulated 90 games with a 51,1% win rate. His most-played champions so far are Rell (14 games), Leona (10 games), and Rakan (10 games). At the time of writing, Nisqy is also ranked Challenger with 1,020 LP. Many viewers have already caught on, with speculation about his return to competition dominating discussions in his chat. The former Team McDonald’s ambassador also spammed “hihihihi” on X these last few days, implying that something was about to happen.

In reality, Nisqy was close to joining Team Vitality as a midlaner last offseason. The coaching duo of James “Mac” MacCormack and Patrick “Pad” Suckow-Breum, with whom he won the LEC in Spring 2023 under MAD colors—alongside Hylissang as support—had seriously considered him for the position. However, the Hive coaching staff ultimately decided to place their trust in a rookie from the academy, Mateusz “Czajek” Czajka. “That one was really complicated, a decision that I agonized over for a long, long time,” Mac admitted at the time. “In the end, it came down to tryouts, and honestly, when we felt what it was like to play with Czajek, we just knew it was the right decision.”

Czajek’s performances have since validated the coaches' choice, as the young midlaner delivered a solid debut split in the EMEA elite. Hylissang’s split, however, proved to be far more challenging. As usual, the Bulgarian support made numerous aggressive plays across the map trying to set up his teammates, but too often found himself isolated, handing free kills to the opposing team, who capitalized on the advantage.

With his characteristic playstyle, it is unsurprising that Hylissang ended the split as the support with the highest average number of deaths. He also conceded the most first bloods of any player in the LEC this winter. Ultimately, his overzealous plays likely cost Vitality several games, with the team bowing out in the first round of the lower bracket playoffs. His final match with the team ended in a 2-1 defeat against BDS, with a KDA of 0/18/36.

The Bulgarian’s departure also brings an end to the botlane partnership he had formed with Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság since Winter 2023. Mac and Pad had expressed unwavering faith in the duo, reaffirming their trust before the 2025 Winter Split despite their mixed results following their Spring 2023 title. Both Carzzy and Hylissang remain under contract with Vitality until November 2026, according to the League of Legends Global Contract Database. Nisqy is also a former Carzzy’s teammate, as they therefore won together the Spring 2023. His existing connections with various members of Vitality were a significant factor in the team's decision, as the organization sought a balance between familiarity and a calculated risk.

This change could also have signaled a slight shift in the coaching staff’s vision, which had aimed to establish the LFL academy as a true talent pipeline for the LEC roster. Indeed, unlike Czajek and Kaan "Naak Nako" Okan this winter, Kadir “Fleshy” Kemiksiz will not yet be leaping the main roster. According to our information, Vitality favored strengthening its roster with an experienced player this time. Despite this, the club had considered promoting the support from its LFL squad, but the timeframe for securing a visa for the Turkish player proved too short.

Furthermore, according to our sources, Vitality was intent on avoiding imports, marking another shift from previous iterations of the Bees before the arrival of Mac and Pad. In 2023 for instance, the organization had recruited two promising talents: South Korean toplaner Kyeong "Photon" Gyu-tae and, most notably, Chinese prodigy Zhou "Bo" Yangbo. While Photon consistently met expectations, the jungler, by contrast, struggled as the season progressed and ultimately failed to regain his footing in 2024 with Karmine Corp.

Toplane: Kaan "Naak Nako" Okan
Jungle: Linas "Lyncas" Nauncikas
Midlane: Mateusz "Czajek" Czajka
AD Carry: Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság
Support: Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer