Sources: Olizera to Join Apeks in VCT EMEA

Apeks has found its new Sentinel. According to Sheep Esports sources, the Norwegian organization has reached a verbal agreement with Diogo "OLIZERA" Oliveira. The winners of the 2024 Ascension had announced on April 29 that Peter "Governor" No would be stepping down due to a persistent injury. The American player had initially replaced Tautvydas "hype" Paldavicius, who was benched after a disastrous start to the VCT EMEA season and an early exit in the Kickoff event. However, Apeks did not fare significantly better with Governor, finishing last in Group Alpha during Stage 1, with five losses and no victories.

The day before Governor's withdrawal was announced, the team had also revealed that Ava "florescent" Eugene had decided to step back from competition. As a result, Apeks participated in the EMEA Qualifiers for the VALORANT Esports World Cup with two stand-in players: Aliaksander "SimonD4rk" Skoubel as Duelist and Alessandro "Tag" Voci in the Sentinel role — Apeks eventually missed the qualification.

Tag was, however, a temporary replacement, as Olizera is now expected to take over from the Italian player for Stage 2 of the VCT EMEA. A roster overhaul was arguably necessary, as Apeks must defend its position within the EMEA elite. As a team promoted from the VCL circuit, Apeks must either qualify for Champions to secure its place in the league for the next year, or at least reach the Stage 2 playoffs to earn a slot in the end-of-season Ascension tournament.

In this context, Olizera appears to be a logical choice, given the confidence he has built in recent months. The Portuguese Killjoy main has had a strong start to the season with KOI Fénix in Challengers Spain, reaching the semi-finals of Stage 1 and, more notably, winning Stage 2 of the competition. Despite a revamped roster and the addition of Michail "globeX" Kostylew in place of Ondřej "MONSTEERR" Petrů, KOI Fénix also reached the semi-finals of the Challengers EMEA.

According to our sources, the move was made possible because KOI did not demand a buyout for the player. The Spanish organization was reportedly supportive of Olizera’s career progression and agreed not to block the transfer. Should Apeks qualify for the Stage 2 playoffs of VCT EMEA, the organization will pay a compensation fee to KOI. The reigning champions of Challengers Spain are now actively exploring the market for Olizera’s replacement and are likely to implement role changes within their current roster.