Mid laner Steven "Reeker" Chen has left MAD Lions and  found a new home outside  the LEC. From the Summer Split onward, the young German will be playing under the banner of Team BDS' academy team in the LFL [French league].

Reeker's switch comes just one split after he joined MAD Lions and made his debut in the LEC. In the offseason last year, he was a in-demand prospect after consistently good performances on BIG in the Prime League [DACH league]. Reeker also had big shoes to fill on MAD Lions, who had won back-to-back titles last year, being the successor to Marek "Humanoid" Brázda, who was widely considered to be the Europe's best player in 2021 but left to join Fnatic.

The defending champions struggled to find their footing in the 2022 Spring Split, though. While the team seemed to come together more in the final week of the regular Split, the resurgence came too late. MAD Lions missed out on the Spring Split playoffs and finished in seventh place with an 8-10 record.

Allons-y, BDS

On Team BDS' academy team, Reeker has his work cut out for him too. In the 2022 LFL Spring Split, the squad finished third in the regular season and then overtook Karmine Corp in the playoffs, finishing in second place. Although Team BDS did qualify for the 2022 EU Masters Spring main event with their LFL result, their run was short-lived. They exited the tournament after a third-place finish in their group.