Deficio to leave Origen, now Astralis, and xPeke to step back

Today has been a day of major announcements for the Astralis Group, not least for its League of Legends team. The LEC team is rebranding from Origen to its parent organisation's moniker of Astralis, nor do the changes stop at the superficial because a great deal of the backroom staff is also changing.

It’s been a crazy, challenging, rewarding but also stressful last two years, but as of today, I will be stepping down as GM. The organization is going in a new direction and so am I.https://t.co/RoHsvXn2xFhttps://t.co/07fUpktrfQ

— Martin Lynge (@Deficiolol) September 15, 2020

Following the rebrand, Origen’s General Manager and former caster, Deficio, has announced he will be leaving the organisation, and founder of the Origen brand and legendary LoL player in his own right, xPeke, will be stepping back but staying on as a shareholder with Astralis.

Deficio has voiced his thoughts on Twitter, but xPeke has yet to comment on the announcement made on the Astralis Group’s website.

Kasper Hvidt, Astralis’ Director of Sports, thanked both Defico and xPeke for their “massive efforts in Origen,” and cited them as “vital for our venture into League of Legends.” However, Hvidt also stated that following two poor Summer Splits in a row after strong early season starts that “[The Organisation] needed to establish a new direction with a clearer Astralis footprint, and it was obvious to all, this would require real change.”

While xPeke appears to be staying on with Astralis, what the next move is for Deficio is unclear right now. On Twitter, the former caster has said he is considering his future, but has made no decisions as of writing.

I want to thank the players, the staff, and everyone at Astralis Group.

Despite the ending, then I have really enjoyed my time here, learned a lot, and met a bunch of good people!

Best of luck to Astralis while I consider my future and my next home.

— Martin Lynge (@Deficiolol) September 15, 2020

(Picture: Astralis Group)

With Deficio and xPeke stepping away, Astralis also revealed the team’s new coaching staff in their announcement:

Head Coach: Baltat "AoD" Alin-Ciprian
Assistant Coach: Bjørn-Vegar "iHansen" Hansen
Performance Manager: Lars Robl

The new staff will be tasked with integrating the LEC team into the “Astralis performance model,” but how successful that will be will have to be determined next year in the Spring Split of the LEC.

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While Deficio and xPeke’s futures at Astralis have been resolved, the fate of coach André "Guilhoto" Guilhoto is “yet to be determined.”

However, with the acquisition of the new coaching staff, at the very least Gulhoto will be expected to shift positions within the organisation.

There has been no news of whether any or all of the players currently on the LEC squad will remain with the organisation, but there are whispers that Astralis are looking to rebuild from the ground up with a squad of rookie players.