Dajor and Astralis part ways

The LEC Winter Split 2023 has been decisive for different organizations in the League of Legends competitive scene.

Strong rumors claim that, after their disaster in the tournament, Fnatic would make radical changes in their roster for the LEC Spring Split. However, on February 22, Astralis announced a somewhat unexpected move in its lineup after signing an excellent Winter Split. As a result, Astralis and Oliver “Dajor” Ryppa are parting ways as of now.

Astralis benches Dajor and lets him explore his options

As already mentioned, Astralis has had an excellent start to the 2023 season. The team showed an impressive level of play in the Winter Split. Far from repeating their performances of previous years, Astralis was able to get through the regular phase and qualify for the Group Stage of the Winter Split 2023. Moreover, the team made it through and performed spectacularly despite losing to the mighty MAD Lions.

Despite all this and its 180° change from previous years, the organization has decided to make a move in its starting lineup. It is about the team’s Mid Laner, Oliver “Dajor” Ryppa, who will no longer be part of the Danish team’s lineup. Astralis, in the Tweet, said:

“Our midlaner @dajorlol has been benched and is allowed to seek new opportunities. We want to thank Dajor for his hard work and dedication. His contributions will not be forgotten. Dajor has been an important part of our journey, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors.”

As we can see, the organization explains that the player is free to pursue new opportunities with another team.

LIDER aims to be Dajor’s replacement

Now, with the departure of Dajor from the Danish team, a vacancy remains at Mid Laner of the team. However, it seems that Astralis has already found a replacement who fits perfectly with their play style and would adapt to the team’s entire system. According to journalist Brieuc “LEC_Wooloo” Seeger on his Twitter account, Dajor’s replacement at Astralis would be Adam “LIDER” Ilyasov.

This would mark the return of LIDER to the top tier of the League of Legends competitive scene in Europe alongside Astralis. These are rumors the organization has not yet denied or confirmed. However, there is also information that Astralis would have talked to different teams and players in their search for a replacement.

As we see in LEC_Wooloo’s Tweet, Astralis had their biggest interest in Felix “Abbedagge” Braun. However, the former 100T player rejected the Danish club’s proposal.

This possible signing means that LIDER returns to the top European level, as mentioned above. The last time he played in the LEC was in 2021 under the Team Vitality banner. In that season, he was one of the main pillars of the team that advanced to the playoffs but lost in the first round to Fnatic.

If the signing of LIDER is completed, the player should exceed all expectations raised around Dajor and help the team to achieve a better position in the Spring Split 2023.

Header: Astralis | Twitter