After a relatively up-and-down year with MAD Lions in 2023, one of the most experienced players in the competitive European League of Legends scene might have found a new team to call home.
Popular veteran Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov is reportedly joining Team Vitality for the 2024 season, according to esports journalist Brieuc Seeger, potentially making him a focal point of the organization’s new LEC roster. The 28-year-old support is one of the most-known players in the league but suffered many stumbles throughout this past year with his last team.
Over the course of 2023, Hylissang won one LEC championship off the back of a miraculous run that saw MAD Lions rise from eighth place in the regular season to champions. Besides that triumph, however, MAD posted inconsistent results, including a seventh-place finish in the summer and a third-place finish in the 2023 LEC Season Finals.
Domestically, MAD were far too unpredictable to challenge for Europe’s throne compared to other long-standing teams like G2 Esports and Fnatic. At international events, the team fared even worse, only winning a single match between the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship—and it came against a fellow European representative.
Even still, Hylissang’s vast amount of game knowledge makes him a great piece to help lead a team into next season, especially with how much playoff experience he has under his belt. He can still be a bit reckless with his plays, but that level of aggression can be a great boost to a team that desperately needs a green light for skirmishes and game-winning teamfights.
Vitality, on the other hand, is still recovering after multiple failed roster iterations over the course of the last two years. The team has seen several superstars walk through its doors, including Perkz, Upset, Kaiser, Carzzy, and Bo, but couldn’t bring together any of its powerhouse lineups for a possible run at the throne.
As multiple players depart this offseason, Vitality’s staff must now rebuild its roster as it attempts to finally capture an LEC trophy in 2024.
