Image credit: LoL Esports
Update at 15:00 CET - Caedrel has announced his retirement. The article now reflects this development.
Marc Robert "Caedrel" Lamont and League of Legends European Championship (LEC) franchise EXCEL Esports are parting ways ahead of the start of the free agency period, the team has announced on Nov. 3 via Twitter. The player later announced that he was retiring from the competitive scene altogether.
Caedrel's departure turns a page in EXCEL's story book, as he was the last remaining member of the lineup they fielded in their first-ever LEC game. Although the organization was unable to reach the LEC playoffs since its inclusion in the franchising era, Caedrel came close to reaching that stage as a jungler twice: in the 2020 spring split and in the summer split, ending 7th in both.
The player's decision to leave the team follows a Twitter post on Oct. 7, where he stated that he was fielding offers and exploring his options. In the end, he chose to retire. "Over the last couple of months, I've realized that I found a little happiness in my life," Caedrel said on his Twitter announcement. "Casting and being on the desk and meeting all these great people behind the scenes has been so much fun for me. It's almost like a spark in my life."
Following his retirement, Caedrel could join the LEC broadcast team if offered the chance, as his casting and analyst desk work during the 2020 European Masters and Worlds have received overwhelmingly positive reviews from the community — a community that is clamoring for his inclusion into the broadcast full-time since then.
On the other hand, EXCEL's free agency is now in full effect, well ahead of the Nov. 16 start. The team can focus on filling the gaps in the jungle and in the mid lane as Joran "Special" Scheffer's contract expires, with the two additions joining top laner Felix "Fryze" Hellström, standout AD carry Patrik "Patrik" Jírů, and support Tore Hoel "Tore" Eilertsen.
Although a number of junglers from the European Masters circuit are available, the organization could instead explore the possibility of hiring Mads "Broxah" Brock-Pedersen, as the latter would be left teamless should Team Liquid sign Barney "Alphari" Morris as an import. Broxah and current head coach Joey "YoungBuck" Steltenpool have worked together on Fnatic in 2017, 2018 and 2019; their best international result being the 2018 Worlds finals.
