MAD Lions has announced its first departure from its 2022 LEC lineup. Top laner İrfan “Armut” Tükek, who played for the organization since the start of the LEC’s 2021 season, bids farewell to the team.
The announcement came from MAD Lions’ Twitter account. Accompanied by a video, the team writes, “Since 2020, İrfan has helped take us to Worlds, MSI, and win the LEC through his dominant top lane play. Thank you for your incredible dedication and for always keeping us entertained!”
Armut commented on Twitter, “Last two years [were] a great experience. I would like to thank everyone, [especially] the coaching staff and management for making us [a] better version of ourselves. I will wait [for] you guys at Worlds”
Two LEC titles
Armut made a name for himself in the LEC as the Wukong and Gnar expert. He piloted the two champions to great success, particularly in team fights. However, Armut’s champion pool also received a lot of criticism. Whenever he did not get his hands on Wukong, Gnar, or Jayce, the top laner would lack consistency in his performances.
Nevertheless, Armut’s time on MAD Lions was successful; he leaves with two LEC titles under his belt. Straight after he joined the lineup in 2021, MAD Lions won back-to-back LEC titles, becoming the third-ever team to accomplish that in European League of Legends history.
The team struggled more in 2022. In the 2022 LEC Spring Split, MAD Lions failed to qualify for the Spring Split playoffs. A mid-season acquisition of mid laner Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer revitalized the lineup and they made it to the subsequent Summer Split playoffs and to the 2022 League of Legends World Championship. At Worlds, MAD Lions came up short in the Play-In Stage and returned to Europe after mere days.
Armut leaves MAD Lions mid-contract. He extended his contract with the team earlier this year, until Nov. 18 2024. Armut hasn’t revealed yet where he is going next.
