ENCE has just shaken up their lineup by signing Rigon “rigoN” Gashi, fresh off the disbandment of Bad News Eagles. This move benches long-time player Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander and hands the captain’s reins to Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev. If you’ve been following the scene, this is a pretty big deal.
rigoN, 25, is no stranger to the spotlight. He made several impressive runs to the Major’s Legend Stage with Bad News Eagles at Antwerp, Rio, and Paris in 2022-2023. After BNE called it quits before the summer break, RigoN was teamless, except for a brief stint with BIG in 2024, which didn’t quite click due to playstyle differences. Now, ENCE is giving him a fresh shot on an international squad, something he hasn’t had since his early days with Secret and c0ntact back in 2019 and 2020.
On the flip side, gla1ve, who joined ENCE about a year and a half ago, is stepping back to the bench. His time with ENCE hasn’t been the triumphant journey many hoped for, especially after the team lost a core group that used to fight for titles. Still, he did lead them to a solid win at Elisa Masters Espoo 2024 on home turf, which is no small feat. ENCE’s GM, Niklas “Willkey” Ojalainen, thanked gla1ve for his dedication and hard work but admitted the team didn’t hit the success they aimed for.
With gla1ve on the bench, the captaincy is now sdy’s domain. He’s not new to leading; he took charge during his time with Monte ahead of the BLAST.tv Paris Major in 2023. Alongside these changes, ENCE is trialing 20-year-old prospect Ville “myltsi” Vilkman, who was promoted from their academy team. He replaces the loanee Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara from Ninjas in Pyjamas, giving the squad a fresh young face to test out.
ENCE’s revamped roster will debut at BLAST Bounty Season 2 starting August 5. The lineup looks like this:
- Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev (captain)
- Paavo “podi” Heiskanen
- Ryan “Neityu” Aubry
- Rigon “rigoN” Gashi
- Ville “myltsi” Vilkman (trial)
- Niclas “enkay J” Krumhorn (coach)
- Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander (benched)
What’s interesting is how this lineup blends experience with fresh talent. rigoN’s aggressive style might bring some firepower that ENCE has been missing, but will it gel with the rest of the squad? And how will sdy handle the leadership pressure? Only time will tell, but I can’t wait to see how they perform at BLAST Bounty Season 2.
