Erlend “nukeduck” Våtevik Holm, Astralis Mid Laner, steps away from the LEC starting lineup due to “personal reasons.” In a report by dot esports, the Norwegian player apparently left his team's starting lineup after three weeks of play in the 2021 LEC Spring Season. Currently, Astralis stands at a dismal 9th place with a paltry 1-6 standing. Unplanned roster changes mess with teams regularly but the situation becomes more tricky due to the ongoing global pandemic.

A rock and a hard place

Astralis proudly announced its new League of Legends roster in November 2020 but it already needs to make some sudden changes. Details regarding the unexpected roster problem are scarce but we can surmise that Astralis gave their blessing for nukeduck to vacate his position. Hopefully, we'll see the veteran Mid Laner back on the Rift when he is able.

Astralis needs to find a replacement for its Mid spot but it won't entirely be easy given the current state of the world. The team allegedly approached free agent  Felix “MagiFelix” Boström as a potential replacement for the remainder of the Spring Season.

The LEC stands tall as the toughest League of Legends stage for the EU region. Additionally, teams hoping to claim their trophies need to have their best foot forward. Unfortunately, Astralis heads towards the latter half of the first season of the year with one player down. Additionally, they need to scramble to find a decent Mid Laner to man their solo lane. It's a tall order but Astralis needs to soldier on for now.

Astralis faces off against the 8th ranked Misfits Gaming and the 2nd ranked FC Schalke 04 later this week. Hopefully, the Danish team gets its affairs in order before they have to take the LEC stage once more.

We'll report on this story as it continues to develop.