Fading Star: Astralis reportedly looking to sell LEC slot, searching for buyers

LEC organization, Astralis, is reportedly searching for potential buyers for their LEC slot. The organization is, according to sources, considering selling their LEC slot once again, but has yet to find a suitable buyer to come to a full agreement with. One of the leading contenders for the slot was Team Falcons, a huge organization currently competing in the ERL. The latter had been in advanced negotiations with Astralis. However, Riot Games reportedly vetoed the purchase deal.

Struggles in Europe

The European roster had initially been off to a strong start, placing 6th in the Winter Groups despite finishing in 8th place in the regular season. They showed more promise than they had in recent times with the new roster, capable of contending with some of Europe’s best at times. Moreover, they had come back from an incredible deficit of 0-5 to still qualify for Groups.

In the Spring Split, Astralis showed better form as they stunned Europe with a 2nd place finish in the Spring regular season, topping out other top teams like Team Vitality and G2 Esports. It had seemed like the Astralis roster had finally found a good stride and were set to continue their winning ways when Summer season came around. Despite those predictions, however, Astralis struggled to repeat their earlier success in Summer. They peaked out in 9th place with a 3-6 record, removing them from Playoffs and Groups contention.

Big prize

Despite Astralis’ woes, their LEC slot remains a highly coveted prize for many organizations looking to enter the competitive Tier 1 League of Legends league. Many European rosters had shown struggles to maintain form this Summer, including Team Vitality and BDS (two teams who had performed incredibly well last season). A faltering top-heavy league offers plenty of growth opportunity for up-and-coming teams who see a power vacuum and room for more competition.

Despite this, sources have indicated that several teams have expressed interest in purchasing the spot, but Astralis have indicated they themselves were not prioritizing the option for a merger, such as KOI and Rogue have done in the past. It is clear that they are eyeing the exit door and are looking for a golden parachute on the way out. As of the time of this writing, nothing has been decided so far.

Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games