EXCEL Esports are benching their starting mid laner Vincent ‘Vetheo’ Berrié for the final week of the LEC Spring Split regular season and bringing in former 100 Thieves player Felix ‘Abbedagge’ Braun.
EXCEL are looking to improve its LEC roster before the final week of the Spring Split’s regular season to increase the chances of making it to the group stage. The team is currently involved in a four-way tie with three matches left before the next phase.
The British organization is swapping out its starting mid laner, Vetheo, and bringing in substitute player Abbedagge. The German mid laner joined EXCEL in the middle of the Winter Split after spending a year in North America with 100 Thieves.
#LEC team update: pic.twitter.com/BVL8g0d6Sl
— GIANTX (@GIANTXENG) March 21, 2023
Vetheo joined EXCEL in December 2022 after two years with Misfits, making the LEC All-Pro teams in both splits last year (first team in the Spring and third team in the Summer). In his first split with EXCEL, the team missed out on a spot in the group stage after going 1-8 in the regular season.
On Twitter, Vetheo admitted that he has been “depressed since the Winter split” but insisted that he would have liked to play out the rest of the split.
“I don’t know how to get better if not winning,” he wrote. “I think it is time to take care of myself.
“But I will have to say that I would have enjoyed finishing the split at least and it is not my decision to not play. My health is good so don’t worry. I still hope the best for this week to the team.”
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EXCEL swap mid laners for decisive LEC Spring week
EXCEL have a chance of making the group stage after a disappointing showing in the Winter Split that saw the organization’s CEO apologize for his team’s performance. EXCEL, Fnatic, MAD Lions and Team Heretics occupy the bottom four places with a 2-4 record after two weeks of play.
EXCEL will take on KOI, Astralis and BDS in the final week of the regular season.
Abbedagge has been out of action since the League of Legends World Championships in 2022. While with 100 Thieves, he attended Worlds twice, won the LCS Summer trophy in 2021 and placed second in the Spring and Summer splits of the LCS in 2022.
If the move does not net EXCEL a spot in the next stage of the LEC, the team will be left with only one more chance to qualify for the LEC Finals, where the region’s three spots at Worlds will be on the line.
EXCEL’s LEC roster:
- Andrei ‘Odoamne’ Pascu
- Andrei ‘Xerge’ Dragomir
- Felix ‘Abbedagge’ Braun
- Patrik ‘Patrik’ Jírů
- Dino ‘LIMIT’ Tot