The Newcomers of the LFL: Vladi

The transfer market of the Ligue Française de LoL (LFL) is in full swing, and teams are gradually completing their ranks to prepare for 2024, which promises to be once more, very intense. Among these reinforcements are players little known to the French audience, who have spent the majority of their careers away from the hexagon, and whom French fans will discover throughout the upcoming season. Over the next few weeks, we will present you an overview of these new faces who will showcase the extent of their talents within the current best ERL in the circuit. Today, we present to you:

Another rising star making its debut in the LFL after a meteoric ascent from the ERLs, Vladi will be one of the youngest players in the league in 2024, at the age of 18. The Greek mid-laner has already competed in two full years of competitive play, evidence of a maturity rarely seen at this level.

Vladi began his journey in 2021, playing in the second Greek division before Team Refuse, a GLL club, decided to recruit him for its Winter split. With him, Refuse achieved one of its best results in the Greek elite, greatly aided by Vladi, who finished the season with the most MVP awards in the league, at just 16 years old and in his first competitive split!

This excellent start was enough for We Love Gaming, one of the most important organizations in Greece, to make him their mid-laner in 2022. Vladi found himself propelled to the highest national level, and he delivered. Once again topping the MVP rankings, tied with a certain Kacper "Daglas" Dagiel, Vladi dominated the Spring Split and finished the regular season at 13-1, only to collapse in the finals 3-2, narrowly missing his first title.

WLG still qualified for the EU Masters, where Vladi had the opportunity to shine. Drawn into the death group of the Play-Ins, facing Entropiq, Macko, and Barça Esport, WLG struggled to exist, but salvation came through outstanding performances from the rookie mid-laner, delivering impressive displays despite his team's defeats.

Even though WLG exited the EUM through the back door, Vladi's contract was fulfilled: he had shown what he was capable of, attracting the attention of Riddle Esports, an NLC team in full reconstruction, which decided to bet on the Greek rookie.

In the NLC, Vladi continued to showcase his talent and mastery of aggressive champions such as Yone, Sylas, Akali, or Ahri. With Riddle, he impressed in the regular season, finishing 4th with an excellent record (12-6). The playoffs were a harsh reality check, and Riddle succumbed 3-1 to Astralis Talent in the first round.

After a solid experience in the NLC, Vladi decided to return to WLG to finish what he had started and finally claim a title in his homeland. Back in Greece, Vladi perfected his champion pool by adding Viktor and Azir, still maintaining a devastating Yone, on which he did not lose a single game throughout the season. However, WLG did not dominate the league, ending up in 3rd place at the end of the regular season.

But in the playoffs, Vladi and his team woke up, climbed the ladder, and defeated the seemingly untouchable leaders, Anorthosis Famagusta. Vladi secured the first title of his career even before turning 18, in a team where he was the main element.

Returning to the EMEA Masters as a year before, Vladi continued his impressive individual performance. WLG qualified for the Knockouts but faced their compatriots from Famagusta, who eliminated them this time, despite an ultimate match where Vladi gave his all.

After another convincing season, Vladi was sought after by several teams, and once again, he chose the NLC. He joined Nativz, which fielded one of the best rosters in the league, including Stefan "Stefan" Nikolić, with whom he had played at Riddle.

Together, they dominated the NLC, easily securing a top 2 spot in the regular season despite a double defeat to Verdant, their main competitors for the NLC throne.

In the playoffs, Nativz avenged themselves and defeated Verdant to secure their place in the final, where they faced NORD Esport and easily triumphed. After his title in the Spring, Vladi won a second consecutive split in 2023, an achievement for the young player confirming incredible progress throughout the season, and yet he did not stop there.

Nativz heads to the EMEA Masters, where they find themselves in a more open group than expected, with former opponents of Vladi from Anorthosis Famagusta, Macko Esports, and the prestigious Karmine Corp. However, the latter, despite being favorites, are facing much more difficulty than anticipated, standing at 3-2 before their final match against Nativz and Vladi, who are at 2-3.

With a victory, Nativz could secure a historic tiebreak against the triple champions of the EMEA Masters. So, Vladi unleashed himself, on his Yone, of course. Well-assisted by Nikolaj “DenVoksne” Asbjorn Meilby, his ADC, both delivered an exceptional performance to snatch a victory from the French champions. Vladi took the opportunity to solo-kill Lucas “SAKEN” Fayard, leaving a lasting impression on Karmine's fans.

Although the tiebreak did not unfold as smoothly afterward, despite another brilliant effort from Vladi that nearly reversed the trend, the message was clear. Nativz came close to eliminating the best team in the history of the EMEA Masters, largely thanks to the excellent performances of the Greek mid-laner. This ensured a bright path for him in the future.

The proverb says, "If you can't beat them, join them." Vladi likely had this in mind when Karmine Corp contacted him to become the mid-laner for their academy in the LFL. In 2024, he will reunite with Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert, another very young player who shone with talent and precocity last year.

Together, these two players seem to outline what should be a new golden generation for Europe. It remains to be seen whether they can both make a lasting impression side by side.