Image credit: LoL Esports
SK Gaming have allowed their starting mid laner in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), Dirk “ZaZee” Mallner, to seek offers from other teams. The player announced his decision to pursue offers in the LEC and the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) ahead of the free agency period, set to start Nov. 16, 2020.
After winning the European Masters in the 2019 summer split on Berling International Gaming, ZaZee joined SK Gaming’s academy team and was one of the team’s bright spots, showcasing great performances on control picks (e.g.: Orianna and Azir). That prowess translated into solid showings in the LEC, which he joined in the summer split after Janik “Jenax” Bartels’ role swap to the top lane.
With him on the lineup, SK Gaming won as many games in their first three weeks of competition as they did during the spring split. As SK’s string of solid performances endured, they reached the playoffs in fifth place with a 9-9 record, far above their spring split’s 4-14 mark. However, the team stumbled against a rampaging FC Schalke 04 Esports in their sole playoff match 3-0.
Although ZaZee’s contract expires in Nov. 2022, SK Gaming has allowed him to test the market should he find better offers in Europe and North America. The team also allowed starting bot laner Juš “Crownshot” Marušič to do the same, ahead of his contract’s expiration date Nov. 16, 2020.
Independently, SK Gaming can seek reinforcements for their academy lineup, which failed to reach the Prime League’s playoffs during the summer split. With many players showing promise in the 2020 European Masters’ summer main event – especially AGO Rogue’s mid laner, Paweł “Czekolad” Szczepanik – SK’s offseason might be among the busiest in the LEC and at the academy level.
