Excel Esports Announce Nukeduck as New Starting Mid Laner

Ahead of the 2021 LEC Summer Split, Excel Esports has announced the signing of Erlend “nukeduck” Våtevik Holm. The Norwegian veteran will act as the starting mid laner for the team, having parted ways with Astralis back in February. He will replace Paweł “Czekolad” Szczepanik, who was let go by Excel after five months.

Excel announced at the start of the week that both Czekolad and Tore “Tore” Hoel Eilertsen had left the team, with the organization having stated that they were “looking at ways to improve the teams’ synergy and performance”. The team has held trials in order to find replacements for the duo.

Could Other New Arrivals Be Announced by Excel?

With the arrival of Nukeduck having now been made official, reports suggest that ex-Misfits Gaming player Petr “denyk” Haramach could join him. The Czech veteran would become Excel’s starting support, having played for the likes of eSuba, Vodafone Giants and LanCraft in the past.

Speaking in his welcome video after signing for Excel, Nukeduck stated that: “I think I can bring leadership to Excel. I know how the strategical part of the game works, and I’m also looking to bring top notch individual gameplay too.”

Meanwhile, Excel Esports Head Coach Joey “YoungBuck” Steltenpool has already talked up the new arrival, praising Nukeduck’s experience at both a domestic and international level. Nukeduck will be hoping to return to top form, having been well below his best at the Spring Split with Astralis.

Why Nukeduck is Perhaps Not the Player He Once Was

In seven games, the Norwegian finished with a KDA of 1.9 from 15 kills, as well as 24 deaths and 31 assists. This was in part down to Astralis’ struggles as a team however, with the Dane’s having finished with a 6-12 record, leaving them placed second to last.
Excel has struggled of their own during the Spring Split, having finished 1-1 with almost every opponent in the league. It was only Fnatic that beat them 2-0. However, Excel’s lack of consistency ultimately cost them, meaning that they missed out on a place in the playoffs. The addition of an experienced mid laner could well take them to the next level.
There could well be additional roster changes ahead of the Summer Split, which we will keep you updated on as they are announced.