Shifters midlaner Ilias "nuc" Bizriken will take a break from competitive League of Legends at the end of the Summer Split, he announced on Sunday, ending a six-year run in the LEC. He cited saturation with competition after two years he described as the hardest of his career, and says he will return if the appetite comes back.
The exit line is a harsh one. Between 2023 and 2024, nuc was rated among the best midlaners in the league and even took BDS to Worlds' Main Event in 2023. The fall has been steep. In 2024, BDS finished top three in all three splits and still came away empty, falling just short of every international event. Since then, through change after change, they have not gone beyond fifth or sixth — and across all three splits of 2026 they have failed to reach the playoffs once. Summer has been the floor: two matches left, and still not a single win.
2025 was probably the year that mentally destroyed me the most
His contract expires this year. Given how little the successive roster changes have fixed, it would be a surprise if midlane were the only seat Shifters reopened this off-season.
