Rogue will sign former Schalke 04 top laner Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu for their League of Legends European Championship lineup, league sources told ESPN.
The team will also promote support Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus from their secondary team AGO Rogue, moving him into the position currently held by Oskar "VandeR" Bogdan, sources said. VandeR, whose contract with Rogue lasts through the end of the 2021 season, will become available for buyout.
Odoamne will replace Finn "Finn" Wiestål, who competed with Rogue throughout the 2020 season. Finn was often criticized by analysts and commentators as a weak link for Rogue due to a limited champion pool. Odoamne cannot sign with Rogue officially until Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. ET, the start of the 2020-21 League of Legends free-agency window.
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Following their exit from the 2020 League of Legends World Championship, Rogue began negotiating with former Origen top laner Barney "Alphari" Morris, considered one of the best in his role in the LEC. Toward the end of his decision-making process, he narrowed it down to Rogue and Team Liquid, but Alphari ultimately will sign with Liquid on Nov. 16 after they offered a multiyear deal worth more than $1 million per year in total compensation, as reported by ESPN.
In their second year in the LEC, Rogue became one of the best teams in the league. The team finished first in the summer regular season, securing itself a spot at the world championship. There, they played in a group with DAMWON Gaming and JD Gaming, considered two of the best teams in the world. Rogue's went 1-5 at worlds, taking a game off Pacific Championship Series team PSG Talon.
Odoamne spent 2019 and 2020 as a part of Schalke 04 Esports, who despite an awful spring split this year rebounded at the end of the summer regular season, qualifying for the playoffs and finishing just one place shy of making the world championship. Schalke 04 will rebuild around jungler Erberk "Gilius" Demir and mid laner Felix "Abbedagge" Braun, although other members of that team may be brought back depending on how the remainder of the offseason shakes out, sources said.
Meanwhile Trymbi had a fantastic year with AGO Rogue in the Ultraliga Polish European Regional League and European Masters. In Poland, AGO Rogue took second place in the Ultraliga Season 4 playoffs and then first in European Masters 2020 Summer Main Event, the event that brings together the best teams of the European Regional Leagues. The AGO Rogue players have been under consideration by a number of League of Legends Championship Series and LEC teams this offseason for starting positions, according to sources.
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