Team Vitality have signed EU LCS veteran Mateusz “Kikis” Szkudlarek as a jungler, according to the official League of Legends esports league-recognized contract database.
Kikis has been playing professional League for seven years, starting on Gameburg Team in 2011 and winning the Samsung Euro Championship in the same year. Since then, he’s played stints on Unicorns of Love, G2 Esports, Fnatic, and the Mysterious Monkeys. He’s bounced between several roles throughout that time—jungle, top, and mid.
He’s the definition of a veteran player, and his instincts and experience could be a valuable asset for the overly-aggressive roster on Team Vitality, who typically struggle in longer games.
As of right now, Vitality hasn’t announced anything official, so Erberk “Gilius” Demir’s future as a starter is yet unclear. In the contract database, however, Kikis is listed right after Damien “Shemek” Soulagnet, who is a sub on the roster. It might be splitting hairs, but that placement may mean that Kikis is also a substitute. His contract is set to expire on Nov. 19 this year, which is the same time as the other players and head coach Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi.
Vitality are currently performing admirably in the 2018 Summer Split with a 5-5 record. That record isn’t nearly as explosive as their run at the top of the ladder, however brief it may have been, during the Spring Split. This split, they have yet to beat any of the league’s top teams, such as Fnatic, G2, or Misfits.
Still, though, they don’t look bad, and the current meta of early damage and constant fighting suits them. Their next game is against Giants Gaming this Friday at 1pm CT.
Update 11:20am CT: Vitality has released a statement on signing Kikis. He will be an in-house sub and Gilius will retain his starting position.
