- The player will miss the rest of the current LoL Split
- Immortals bring in Bolulu from the Challengers roster to substitute Ablazeolive
- It’s currently unknown when exactly the player will return
Nicholas Antonio “Ablazeolive” Abbott steps away from the competitive scene due to personal reasons while Immortals continue to struggle during this season.
Ablazeolive Temporarily Steps Away
It is not a rare occurrence that esports organizations have to make unplanned substitutions to their rosters, oftentimes mid-season. Immortals are just in such a moment as they have to find a new mid-laner for their League of Legends roster, because their current player in that position, Ablazeolive will be stepping away from the LCS for the remainder of this split.
Nicholas Antonio “Ablazeolive” Abbott, a two-year LCS veteran, will have to take a break from, the competition due to personal reasons. Swedish-Turkish player Onur “Bolulu” Demirol of Immortals Challengers will replace Ablazeolive for the remainder of the split, the organization announced.
“We prioritize the well-being of our players and staff above all else and fully support Nick with his decision,” Immortals’ statement on Twitter reads. “After a lot of thought, I believe this is the best decision for myself,” Ablazeolive was quoted saying. In his statement, he further expressed gratitude for his teammates’, staff’s, and fans’ understanding and support.
What Would This Mean for the Team?
It’s not exactly clear why Ablazeolive has to step away from competing in such a crucial moment for Immortals. Neither he, nor the organization, have explained in detail, nor have pointed to a concrete date that the player will be returning.
Whatever the reasons, Ablazeolive’s absence might negatively hurt the team’s performance. Immortals have been struggling so far in the season, having found themselves in ninth place with a 2-9 record. It’s a terrible result for the team, with only Dignitas performing worse with their record of 1-10.
But there is a ray of hope as Bolulu and Immortals Challengers have been steadily drawing most of their matches. Their seven draws in the best-of-two series outrank their two wins and three losses. Perhaps the Swedish/Turkish player’s inclusion in the main roster will boost the team’s chances, as Bolulu has posted a 4.3 KDA with a kill participation mark of 65% in recent matches.
Bolulu will make his LCS debut this Friday, although he has already played against major region talent before. The player qualified for the World Championship with Supermassive and Galatasaray out of the TCL in 2020 and 2021 respectively. In fact, his 2020 run with Supermassive was of significant importance, as it marked the first time a TCL team took a best-of-five series off of a major region team in international play.
The only certain thing right now is that Bolulu will remain on Immortals’ main roster for the rest of the Split as Ablazeolive is away.
