Apeks to continue with STYKO: "We don't give up when it gets rough"

STYKO is slated to keep playing under the Apeks banner down at ESL Challenger Melbourne.

European side Apeks have announced their intent to continue utilizing rifler Martin "⁠STYKO⁠" Styk for their upcoming outing at ESL Challenger Melbourne, set to run April 26-28. The decision comes amidst an important juncture for Apeks, as the team look to assess their future after a lackluster run of form in recent months.

STYKO was originally brought back on to the active lineup of Apeks in late December 2023, two months after being benched to make way for the trialing of Ådne "⁠sense⁠" Fredriksen. The catalyst for STYKO's return to the roster came after the departure of in-game leader Damjan "⁠kyxsan⁠" Stoilkovski to HEROIC, a move that required Apeks to call upon the services of STYKO to retain their place in Europe RMR B.

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STYKO returns to Apeks on short-term deal

Returning to Apeks with a short-term contract slated to expire at the end of the Major, STYKO helped his squad secure a spot in Copenhagen with a confident run through the RMR, accruing a 3-1 record after notching their only loss to eventual quarterfinalists Cloud9.

The European side's campaign through PGL Major Copenhagen's Opening Stage proved to be far more bleak, as sense's troops claimed only a single win, a hard-fought BO1 victory over AMKAL, before bowing out with an uninspired 1-3 record.

Apeks's lackluster Major run is not the only blemish on the team's record, as the squad has struggled to find impact in numerous online outings both before and after the Major. Notably, Apeks faced early exits in the European closed qualifiers for both IEM Dallas and ESL Challenger Jönköping, and secured only a single win over Space in the group stage portion of ESL Challenger League Season 47.

Members of Apeks have been vocal about the team's disappointing performance, with Joakim "⁠jkaem⁠" Myrbostad linking his team's unfortunate Major showing to being "too satisfied with just taking part". The veteran Norweigan player shared similar comments online after Apeks failed to qualify for ESL Challenger Jönköping, stating that the team is in a "big crisis" and was not resembling "a team in any shape or form."

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jkaem: "Maybe we were too satisfied with just taking part"

"There is no secret that we are having a rough time, but our players are doing everything they can to get out of this slump", shared Apeks COO Anders "⁠aNdz⁠" Kjær when reached out to regarding the team's future.

"There is a mix of issues, and we are doing what we can to fix it. At the end of the day, it sucks the most for the players to play these matches, when they know how much better they can and should be. So we will work through this with the player group, and turn it around. We don't give up when it gets rough."

Apeks will have ample time to prepare for their campaign in Melbourne, with the Australian event not scheduled to begin until April 26. In the meantime, STYKO and co. will be looking ahead to their run in BetBoom Dacha Belgrade's Europe Closed Qualifier, alongside their further matches in ESL Challenger League Season 47.

Apeks are slated to attend ESL Challenger Melbourne with:

Joakim "⁠jkaem⁠" Myrbostad
Tim "⁠nawwk⁠" Jonasson
Aleksandar "⁠CacaNito⁠" Kjulukoski
Ådne "⁠sense⁠" Fredriksen
Martin "⁠STYKO⁠" Styk

Torbjørn "⁠mithR⁠" Nyborg (coach)