Sources: Team Vitality exploring midlane options for LEC Summer Split, Humanoid benched

are exploring their options ahead of the LEC Summer Split, as Marek “” Brázda has been benched and will therefore not remain the team’s starting midlaner. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, the organization has very serious leads in South Korea, and their next midlaner is expected to come from there.

Other options considered included ’s Kang “” Dong-su and ’ Šimon “” Řiháč, currently regarded as the two best players in the ERL scene at the position. Vitality have not changed midlaners mid-season since 2021, when Adam "" Ilyasov replaced Aljoša "Milica" Kovandžić between Spring and Summer.

The move comes after a disappointing playoff run in the Spring Split. Despite finishing the regular season in first place at 8-1, with their only loss coming against , Vitality were then swept aside in the final bracket. Their losses to Movistar KOI and were one-sided 0-3 series, leaving little doubt about the scale of the collapse. Vitality became the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs without getting any win as the first seed.

The organization reacted quickly, changing course for the final split of the year as they aim for a Worlds qualification. In a league where the top of the table has been controlled by , Karmine Corp, and since the start of last year, Vitality now believe they can establish themselves as a genuine outsider and a real podium contender in the LEC.

For Humanoid, this is a return to square one. Benched at the same stage last year at Fnatic, where the roster had become too dysfunctional in the words of Óscar "" Muñoz and Fabian "GrabbZ" Lohmann, he was replaced by Yoon “” Sung-won for Summer 2025 before entering free agency at the end of the year.

“Last year was the worst my mental health has ever been in my life,” he said earlier this year, explaining that the pressure of playing in ’s environment, with high expectations on both himself and the team, had taken its toll.

Still, the decision is easier to understand when looking at his Spring Split numbers. He was the best midlaner in the league in damage per minute at 733, but his other key stats were only average. Long regarded as a strong laner, he finished as the sixth-best midlaner in CS difference at 15 minutes at -1.6, seventh in XP difference at 15 minutes at -187, and ninth in kill participation at his position with 57%.