Magic’s coach eksiver to stand in for AW at StarSeries Fall Barcelona

Esports News UK, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 15/09/2026

Magic will head into StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 without AW, with the team’s coach, eksiver, stepping onto the server for the whole event, according to HLTV.

The tournament runs in Barcelona from 17 to 20 September, with a $500,000 prize pool split across eight teams in a compact double-elimination bracket, as reported by Esports Insider. Team Spirit and Team Falcons are not competing, leaving MOUZ, Vitality and FURIA as the highest-ranked names in the field alongside NRG, Aurora, NAVI, MIBR and magic.

Magic arrive in Barcelona off the back of a strong run at FISSURE Playground 3 in China, where they beat FaZe 2-1 in overtime on Ancient and Cache before adding a 2-0 win over PARIVISION, ultimately finishing 7th-8th, Esports Insider notes. That form makes the timing of AW’s absence notable, though neither outlet has given a reason for it.

Esports Insider’s bracket breakdown has magic drawn against Vitality in the opening round, a tie that will now be shaped by eksiver’s presence in the lineup rather than AW’s. Vitality themselves have just returned to their usual five, with William ‘mezii’ Merriman back from paternity leave alongside apEX, ropz, ZywOo and flameZ, having used Justinas ‘jL’ Lekavicius as a stand-in during his absence at BLAST Open Porto.

Coaches filling in for missing players is not unheard of in Counter-Strike, but it remains a rare in-competition solution, particularly at a $500,000 LAN with a knockout-heavy structure that leaves little margin for lineup disruption. Magic’s opening match against Vitality will be the first test of how the change affects the roster on server.

Further details on AW’s absence, and whether it extends beyond StarSeries Fall, had not been confirmed by either outlet at the time of writing.

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Esports News UK, Senior Editor

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