are exploring their options ahead of the LEC Summer Split, as Marek â
â BrĂĄzda has been benched and will therefore not remain the teamâs 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
âs Kang â
â Dong-su and
â Ć imon â
â ĆihĂĄÄ, 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 AljoĆĄa "
Milica" KovandĆŸiÄ between Spring and Summer.
A Sudden Change After a Painful Spring
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.
Humanoidâs Return to the Bench
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 Ăscar "
" Muñoz and Fabian "
GrabbZ" Lohmann, he was replaced by Yoon â
â Sung-won for Summer 2025 before entering free agency at the end of the year.
â
Last year was the worst my mental health has ever been in my life,â he said
earlier this year, explaining that the pressure of playing in
âs 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%.
