Team ROCCAT have announced its first roster change of the off-season: AD carry Pierre “Steeelback” Medjaldi is off the lineup.
The French player joined ROCCAT just five months ago leaving Unicorns of Love. His time with the team was largely unsuccessful as they failed to make an impact on the European League Championship Series. The side finished bottom of the standings in the regular season, and had to fight through relegation to retain their spot in the league.
Despite the torrid season, many believe that Steeelback performed at a level better than his team’s placement would indicate. He earned a reputation as a consistent performer on a side that lacked carry threats in other positions, and now looks set to find a new home in the LCS.
There are a few options. Origen are looking for a new AD carry after spending most of the split with mid laner and owner Enrique “Xpeke” Cedeno filling in for the position. Speculation online has also linked Steeelback with French organization, Vitality.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Steeelback said:
“Regarding 2017, I can already tell that I’ll be staying in Europe. I’ve been playing for a lot of teams during my career, but I really hope that I am going to stay there for a long time. I want to build something strong to be able to compete on the world’s stage next year and I’ll do everything possible to achieve that goal. My new team will be announced soon and I really hope that you’ll be as excited as I am for that new challenge”
ROCCAT is the third team that Steeelback has played for in the LCS. His first stint came as a surprise replacement for the outgoing Martin “Rekkles” Larsson on Fnatic in the Spring split of 2015. After being replaced by the returning Rekkles, Steeelback spent time in the North American Challenger Series, before returning to Europe to feature for Unicorns of Love and most recently, ROCCAT.
