A homecoming for Nihat "Innaxe" Aliev. The AD Carry, who began his career in 2017 in the UK under the banner of exceL eSports, is set to join NORD Esports in The Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), sources tell Sheep Esports on Tuesday. After a brief stint in the LEC in 2020, the Bulgarian-British player had already come close to joining the organization late last offseason. However, NORD ultimately opted for Matthew “xMatty” Charles Coombs, while Innaxe signed with Dung Dynasty, Muhammed "Agurin" Kocak’s team, to compete in the Prime League Winter Split.

His run there ended in disappointment, as Dung Dynasty was unexpectedly swept 0-3 by E WIE EINFACH in the lower bracket final, thereby missing out on EMEA Masters qualification. Similarly, NORD fell just one series short of securing a spot in the EM, losing in the NLC grand final against Los Ratones. NORD and LR shared a comparable profile, with rosters built around seasoned players, some of whom had LEC experience (Tamás "Vizicsacsi" Kiss and Erik "Treatz" Wessén, alongside xMatty).

Third change

NORD appears keen to maintain this philosophy, as before securing Innaxe, the Winter Split finalist had also reached a verbal agreement with a European jungle legend, Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski, as reported by Sheep Esports on Monday. The Polish player will replace another veteran, Lucas "Santorin" Larsen, who primarily built his career in the NA LCS. With the additions of Innaxe and Jankos, NORD will remain a team rich in experience, aiming to become even more competitive and challenge Los Ratones for the top spot. The team, however, still has to find a replacement for its support, Treatz, who's joining Movistar KOI Fénix in the Superliga, as previously reported by Sheep Esports.