Splyce to be rebranded as MAD Lions for LEC 2020

Splyce’s League of Legends European Championship team will be no more this coming year. Their parent company, OverActive Media, has shut down their New York-based office which Splyce has run since 2015.

The new headquarters is underway to move to Toronto, Canada. During this move, many key employees have been let go.

The move is understandable, as OverActive owns the Toronto Defiant in the Overwatch League, and the Toronto Ultra in the new Call of Duty League. These teams were once known as Splyce teams, but have since re-branded for location-based franchising. Now, their League of Legends team is undergoing a similar fate.

Out with the Old, In with the New

For LEC 2020, Splyce will be rebranded as MAD Lions, a Spanish esports organization which was bought by OverActive earlier this year. While this will be the end of Splyce in the LEC, they will remain active as a brand in other esports. Still, it will be a big loss for long-time fans of the scene.

Splyce has been a part of the European League of Legends since Spring 2016 when they acquired the newly promoted Dignitas EU roster. Since then, there has never been an EU LCS or LEC split without Splyce. They managed to solidify themselves as a consistent mid to high-level competitor, never placing below 5th-6th since their inaugural split.

Image via Redbull.com

This year saw Splyce’s greatest success in League of Legends yet. A third-place finish in Spring and a playoff berth in Summer had Splyce qualify for Worlds for the first time since 2016. They even managed to make it out of groups, a completely unexpected result for a European third seed.

Uncertain Future as Splyce Bleeds Talent

While Splyce has had their time in the sun this year, all good things must come to an end. Already this off-season, they have lost the majority of their starting roster. Top lane veteran Kiss “Vizicsacsi” Tamás has retired, Jungler Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir has been traded to Origin, and Support Tore “Norskeren” Hoel Eilertsen (now known as “Tore”) is heading to Excel Esports. ADC Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup’s contract has also expired and he will likely be playing elsewhere.

Their new roster will be built around Midlaner Marek “Humanoid” Brázda and will likely contain four LEC rookies. All of them have played for teams a tier or more below, but none are proven on the big stage yet. This roster focused on development will provide an interesting storyline for next season. Hopefully, this young MAD Lions squad can make some waves in LEC 2020.

Written by Zakaria Almughrabi