"Three teams in one split, goated behavior," as a pro player might say if he decided to leak information before the actual leakers. According to Sheep Esports sources, Ismaïl "ISMA" Boualem's offseason has indeed taken yet another unexpected turn in recent hours. Announced as a member of Karmine Corp Blue on February 28, the former SK Gaming jungler will ultimately remain in the LEC and join GIANTX.

The Spanish team had to act quickly to find a replacement for Can "Closer" Çelik, who recently decided to step back for personal reasons, as previously reported by Sheep Esports. Closer informed GIANTX that he preferred not to continue a couple of days ago. This turn of events has proved to be a golden opportunity for the French player, who had believed his time in the EMEA League of Legends elite was over after a year and a split with SK.

The first option

One major question, already raised during the swap between ISMA and Mehdi “Boukada” Lahlou, became central to the negotiations between GX and KC: would ISMA be allowed to compete in the EMEA Masters? The former Movistar Riders player—who did not take part in KCB’s LFL title-winning run—was initially set to make his debut for his new team in the regional competition. According to our sources, the two organizations reached an agreement allowing ISMA to participate in the EM while simultaneously training with GX. However, this means KCB must now secure a replacement for their replacement ahead of the LFL Spring Split kickoff.

Our sources indicate that GX paid a buyout to Karmine Corp, which agreed to lower the initial fee. In this chain of events, KC therefore first secured a buyout by swapping Boukada for ISMA with SK, only to receive another payout by transferring ISMA to GX. Furthermore, sources said that GIANTX asked about Andrei "Xerxe" Dragomir and Mark "Markoon" van Woensel but ultimately only seriously considered two options: ISMA, their first choice, and Enes "Rhilech" Uçan. Given that the organization was only informed of Closer’s decision a few days ago, it had to move quickly with limited resources. Although eager to join the team, ISMA had little choice but to accept the terms offered, and he accepted the proposed offer.