Sources: Lider set to join SK Gaming

After a notable absence from the LEC stage, Adam "LIDER" Ilyasov is set to make his return by joining SK Gaming for the 2026 season, according to sources close to Sheep Esports. Last professionally seen competing with The Ruddy Sack during Winter 2025 in the NLC, LIDER’s last stint in the LEC was with Astralis back in 2023, the team’s final year in the league.

His signing marks him as the third confirmed player for SK Gaming’s rebuilding project, following the retention of jungler Duncan “Skeanz” Marquet, who is reportedly locked in as the team’s jungler for next year, and the arrival of Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle. Per sources, Lider was a conditon for Mikyx's arrival into SK Gaming. Before the confirmation of Mikyx and his requested midlaner joining, SK Gaming considered other midlaners such as Tolga "Serin" Ölmez.

At the end of 2021, Mikyx and Lider were just about to join Cloud9 together, marking several years of trying to be on the same team. Even before Yoon "Poby" Sung-won signed with Fnatic, Mikyx had already asked for Lider to replace Marek "Humanoid" Brázda as midlaner. Currently, Lider holds rank 2 in solo queue in EUW.

A few weeks ago, SK Gaming also decided to keep head coach David “OWN3R” Rodriguez, granting him the freedom to reconstruct a competitive roster from the ground up. Despite potentially stronger midlane options available during this offseason, SK Gaming’s financial constraints and strategic considerations led them to prioritize securing "LIDER" early on, viewed as a pragmatic decision to kickstart their offseason. He was also a part of the roster wanted by Mikyx to be built around him.

LIDER is known for his high-impact, carry-oriented midlane playstyle. Over the years, he has built a reputation across various European organizations and ERLs, including competitive spells with Misfits both in the LFL and LEC, Team Vitality, Golden Guardians Academy in North America, and most recently Astralis. His only 2025 professional competition was with The Ruddy Sack in the NLC alongside big names like Luka "Perkz" Perković and Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski—a project that ultimately fell short of expectations. He played with them only during Winter split.

The German organization is embarking on a significant roster overhaul following what was arguably their worst year in recent memory. Struggling through 2025, SK cycled through ten different players across three splits, suffering from instability and poor results. Their team never qualified for playoffs and consistently ranked 9th in each split with a very limited number of matches played, underscoring the brutal competitiveness of the LEC and the toll of repeated roster changes.

With all five starters from the 2025 Summer Split out of contract, SK has entered the offseason with the possibility of replacing their entire starting roster. Yet, under the leadership of OWN3R, SK Gaming aims to foster continuity by retaining Skeanz in the jungle while rebuilding the rest of the roster. They first signed Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle, and build the rest of the roster around him. The midlane signing of LIDER is the first step in that sense.