After a brief passage to the United States to play for Curse, support player Edward is returning to Gambit Gaming.
Citing conflicts with his bottom lane partner, Evgeny "Genja" Andryushin, Edward "Edward" Abgaryan left Gambit Gaming in between the Spring and Summer seasons of European LCS to play for Curse Gaming in North America. Despite his North American AD carry, David "Cop" Roberson crediting Edward for his improved performance on aggressive champions like Draven, Curse found themselves relegated after the summer playoffs, and Edward decided to leave Curse. He told his fans he would be rejoining the European LCS, but did not name the team.
Many fans expected that Edward would be returning to Gambit when it came to light that his visa status would make it difficult for him to join any other European team. Adding to the rumors, it was officially announced that Erih "Voidle" Sommermann, the most recent support player for Gambit Gaming, would be leaving. Some members of Gambit tried to keep the rumors from dominating before the official announcement by dismissing Edward's return on stream, but Gambit Gaming unveiled their new "? UNKNOWN PERSON ?" support player in a Russian language interview with the team's manager.
To the surprise of certain redditors, the new support player turned out to be Edward. During the interview, he discussed his decision to leave Gambit, his conflicts with Genja, his experience in North America, his desires for Gambit to perform well, and his mishap returning to Russia and accidentally speaking English. In addition, Edward released a statement on his Facebook, stating he did not regret making his initial decision to leave, and it may have been "for the best."
I would like to say a couple of words on top of the interview.
I know that I disappointed a lot of fans and my teammates by leaving Gambit Gaming. You cannot change the past. I don't regret making this decision, maybe, it was for the best.
I would like to thank all my fans supporting me in the time of my hurdle.
—Edward, 2013
Many loyal Gambit fans who have supported the original roster since their dominant performance at IEM Kiev in January of 2012 were pleased with the news, and it is likely that Edward's stint in North America will bring additional fans. Whether Edward and Genja will be able to work out their issues in Season 4, or Edward's time away from Gambit have made them seem minor, remains to be seen.
Fans can get glimpses of the team in action at The Battle of the Atlantic in December, at the very latest. They will be facing off against XDG Gaming, and Genja predicts they'll come out victorious. Either way, a match between a top North American team and a top European team is not to be missed, especially when, amidst all the roster changes, it looks like these are two of the only teams to remain largely untouched.
Welcome back @EdwardCarryLoL Someone should keep his word ;) pic.twitter.com/ih6kCX4Ygq
— Gambit Gaming (@GambitEsports) November 7, 2013
