Promising tier two European team Oslo Lions has disbanded, releasing their former players as free agents. Individual players from the full Norwegian roster are currently pursuing opportunities elsewhere within Europe and North America, most recently with Decod and Invision joining ex-ALTERNATE aTTax.

The team found reasonable success throughout late 2016 and early 2017, combining some of the best players from Norway for their roster. Despite decent results, most recently beating x4ckers and Pale Golden Rod in the StriveWire Monthly Brawl for March, their tournament runs were frequently brought short by other tier-two competitors.

According to former players, their roster was also never fully settled; Oslo Lions experimented by switching their Lucio and flex, feeling the original players had hit their personal ceilings, but could not find a roster that fit their style and had the potential to improve.

They felt like they had hit a wall with their team, and decided to terminate their contracts and disband after Oslo Lions could also not afford to support them financially.

Iko’s statement read:

We are no longer a part of Oslo Lions. The team has chosen to split up and seek other opportunities. Differentiating priorities and lack of resources in the Norwegian scene make it difficult to support a team that wants to be on par with top-tier international teams. We would like to thank Oslo Lions for their support throughout the five months we played under their banner. Sadly, ambitions differ and it has been hard for both sides to develop under these circumstances. We wish Oslo Lions the best in their endeavors.

Board member of Oslo Lions, Christophe “Monk” Roblin said:

It's unfortunate that it came to this short end. The team has invoked a clause that terminates their contract with Oslo Lions eight months earlier than we naturally would have liked. Their rapid growth and climbing of international recognition has been overwhelming for both parties. It is due to a lot of hard work and investment from the team. They are a unique set of people that Norway has not provided for quite a while. We take pleasure in the fact that the team as a group started their endeavours in our organisation, and we hope to see great things from them and sincerely hope they stick together.

We want to thank them for their time in Oslo Lions, and wish them all of the best in the future.

The former Oslo Lions roster was:

  • Christer ”Iko” Ringelien (DPS)
  • Greger ”Invision” Herland (DPS)
  • Brage ”Fresh” Kjærvik Andersen (Flex)
  • Jørgen ”Decod” Myrlund (Tank)
  • Kha ”iPN” Nguyen (Support)
  • Espen ”Aateigen” Aateigen (Support)