Jungler Nikolay “Zanzarah” Akatov and support Hampus Mikael “promisq” Abrahamsson will stay with Astralis for the 2022 League of Legends season, sources close to the organization confirmed to Upcomer on Wednesday.
The players, who are contracted with Astralis until November 20, 2023, will compete for the League of Legends European Championship squad through the next year of that contract, despite rumors of promisq’s departure. The Russian jungler and Swedish support played the entire 2021 season for the organization as they placed ninth and tied for seventh in the LEC.
Zanzarah made a name for himself in the 2021 LEC season, thanks to his eccentric personality and fan-favorite pocket picks like Sejuani and Skarner. He joined Astralis as the organization rebranded its League of Legends brand from Origen. Before joining Astralis, Zanzarah played for Rogue’s Academy team, Origen and a few Commonwealth of Independent States teams.
He is one of the few Russian players to have graced the LEC stage since Gambit Esports left the region.
Promisq has been around the top of European competition as either a starter or substitute since his time with Elements in 2015 and a part of organizations including Schalke 04 Esports, PSG Esports and G2 Esports.
Upcomer also confirmed that Astralis will lock in Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup as their AD carry for the 2022 season. The team is currently conducting tryouts for a top laner to help round out their spring split roster, sources said.
Astralis hope to bounce back in 2022
Astralis are going for a mix of continuity and big signings to better their position in the LEC. The team initially brought on four new players for their 2021 campaign and kept only veteran mid laner Erlend “nukeduck” Våtevik Holm from the previous year. He was later replaced in early February 2021 by Fnatic substitute Carl Felix “MagiFelix” Boström.
Zanzarah, who signed with the org in November 2020, endeared himself to the League of Legends community throughout the season with his funny interviews and expressive antics on stage.
He and promisq are the first dominos to fall in Astralis’ offseason, as the team’s former bot laner Jesper “Jeskla” Klarin Strömberg announced his departure in early Oct. and the squad currently has not announced its solo lanes or Jeskla’s replacement.
– Alejandro Gomis contributed to this report.
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