Another chapter in
The Adventures of in 2026. Released by
after the LEC Versus, then recruited by
to replace the very player who had effectively taken his LEC spot —
— for the EMEA Masters, before the organization parted ways with almost its entire roster, and later used as a one-series stand-in for
against
in the LFL playoffs, the French support has now found a new home for the summer. According to sources close to
Sheep Esports, Stend is expected to replace
at
until the end of the year.
In other words, the support player is moving from one struggling LEC team to another. Tenth out of twelve during LEC Versus, Shifters had also shared last place with Heretics during the Spring Split. “
You start to question whether you even deserve to be here”,
Trymbi admitted midway through Spring, as his team suffered a third defeat in as many matches. “
We’ve hit a ceiling in several areas with this roster. We’ve reached a point of no return,”
Ilyas “nuc” Bizriken echoed ten days later — after three additional losses had piled up. In the end, both teammates proved correct.
A reunited duo
Unable to consistently close out games despite some promising early, Shifters did not wait until the end of the split to make adjustments. During the split, the organization brought in none other than Théo “Sheo” Borile, Stend’s former teammate at Heretics earlier this year, who himself had been released midway through Spring by the Spanish organization.
The jungler contributed to what would become Shifters’ sole victory of the split… against Heretics. According to our information, the Spanish organization had offered Stend a substitute position within its academy roster should he fail to secure another opportunity, but the two former TH French players are now set to reunite. The roster will also re-take on a distinctly BDS-like identity, with a strong Frenchie core.
For his part, Stend had enjoyed a convincing debut LEC season in 2025, already under the Heretics banner. Retaining him for the 2026 season initially appeared to be a logical decision from the organization’s management. However, the support struggled more noticeably during the Winter Split and ultimately paid the price, as the prospect of signing Misa Esports’ South Korean botlane duo,
and Way, persuaded the club to move in a different direction.
Those inconsistent performances also cost him a place on the French roster for the Esports Nations Cup, with France head coach Quentin “Zeph” Viguié
ultimately opting for Théo “Zoelys” Le Scornec instead. Stend must now rediscover the level he displayed with
in 2024 and Heretics in 2025 if he hopes to help Shifters finally build momentum in a 2026 season that, so far, has generated little enthusiasm.
