Forget shoes. We now know the faces that will headline the new Elements roster in the Summer Split.
The new-look squad will include Jesper “Jwaow” Strandgren, Marcel “Dexter” Feldkamp, Henrik “Froggen” Hansen, Erin “Tabzz” Van Helvert, and Hampus “Promiscuous” Abrahamsson on the starting roster and Patrick “Nyph” Funke as the head coach, sources close to the organization tell the Daily Dot.
Shortly after a disappointing seventh place in the EU LCS, the team looked to make drastic changes for the Summer Split. Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, Mike “Wickd” Petersen, and Ilyas “Shook” Hartsema reportedly clashed and ultimately deciding to leave organization to explore other opportunities. The team was left with Hansen and former support Mitch “Krepo” Voorspoels to rebuild from scratch. But on April 28, Voorspoels announced he was retiring, leaving the Elements roster in need of a complete revamp for the coming season.
Most of the names on the new roster won’t be a surprise. And, in fact, it largely mirrors the skill of the team’s original lineup in 2014, what once was hailed as Europe’s “super team” thanks to the star power on display. Now as Elements, the organization once again looks at rebuilding its team around Hansen, who has been its star mid laner since its inception.
The team teased fans on Twitter on April 28, revealing Hansen and Van Helvert’s shoes from previous photos on their social media. Since then, fans have been trying to figure out who the other shoes belonged to.
One step at a time… pic.twitter.com/HtdsZkLJKi
— Elements (@Elementsgg) April 28, 2015
Abrahamsson is easily the most interesting addition to the roster. He’s previously played with Inferno eSports, an Italian amateur team. He was reportedly scouted in solo queue by the team and has been chosen as their new support player, giving him his first shot on the big stage.
Strandgren was the frontrunner for the top lane position when Alliance was formed in 2014, but the team ultimately went in another direction with Petersen. Strandgren was riding the Gamers2 bench when MeetYourMakers top laner Mimer “Mimer” Ahlström stepped down and the team looked to him as a replacement. There, Strandgren showed he can compete with his peers among Europe’s best.
For Feldkamp, the new team will mark his return to the spotlight. He was considered to be one of the better junglers in both the North American and European League Championship Series while playing with Counter Logic Gaming and Lemondogs. Elements brought him on as a substitute last split, but he’ll now move to the starting roster. It’s also a return for Van Helvert, who took a split break from competitive after being kicked from Alliance last year in favor of Larsson. During his time in the European League Championship Series, he was praised as one of the more aggressive and skilled ADCs amongst his peers.
With this new lineup, Elements should be a strong contender in the European LCS, which starts May 28.
