A surprise move.
Aurora have announced the shock departure of Hardecki. The Apex Legends icon had been mysteriously absent from scrims this week, and we now have official confirmation that he will not compete with the side moving forward.
Aurora have had a rollercoaster of a run with Hardecki. They dominated EMEA's ALGS Split 1 Prop League, almost winning the maximum amount of points in Pro League. They made the finals of the LAN Playoffs in Los Angeles.
However, in Split 2, they have significantly struggled. Ahead of competing later today, they sit in 17th. With only eight spots for the Split 2 Playoffs, Aurora need a quick and sudden turnaround if they are to qualify.
Hardecki departs Aurora
This tough start to ALGS Split 2 should not take away from just how good Aurora were in Split 1. They forged a new Lifeline meta, and defied critics who said changes to EVO Shields and Ring damage would prevent them from being successful.
They finished first or second in six of the seven set of games they played in Split 1. This included a Match Point win in the Regional Finals. Hardecki was a huge part of their success, grabbing 84 kills and finishing second in the region overall. While his Aurora teammates were not far behind (3rd, and 4th), to frag out in this way on Lifeline was especially impressive.
This led to a lot of people hailing the return of the 'Grim Griefer'. Hardecki is one of the games most iconic players, and the success of this Aurora roster was welcomed by fans of the ALGS.
However, this season things have not been working. Hardecki sits in 24th for kills overall, averaging under 4 kills per set in the last three appearances. Something had to change clearly, and Aurora have decided to move forward without Hardecki.
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"It is obvious that the desired results were not achieved"
"The last six months were really great, full of hard work, high goals, and exciting achievements. Now something has changed, and even though we tried to change and make everything possible for things to work out, it is obvious that the desired results were not achieved.
"Hard times force us to make difficult decisions, and the team decided to replace one of the players. Today, with a heavy heart, we are saying goodbye to Hardecki.
"Aurora is grateful for everything Kostya has done during our time together, and he will forever be a part of our history. Thank you and good luck, Grim Reaper."
Hardecki added in his own statement simply how much he had enjoyed his time on the organisation.
Aurora have not yet announced a third player. Wgrub has been standing in in scrims this week, and with no roster change apparent he is either becoming the permanent third or Aurora will seek to replace Hardecki after todays ALGS games.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more ALGS coverage.
