Fnatic has announced their starting roster for the LEC Spring Split 2023. In a blog post on their website, they announced the changes and addressed fan concerns.
This follows an extremely lackluster Winter Split, which saw the star-studded team finish ninth, missing the playoffs for the first time in organizational history.
In response, Fnatic moved from top laner Martin “Wunder” Nordahl Hansen to Óscar Muñoz “Oscarinin” Jiménez. Additionally, they changed the support from Rúben “Rhuckz” Barbosa to Henk “Advienne” Reijenga. Both players were promoted from Fnatic TQ, the organization’s academy team.
fnatic said: “The pair are incredibly talented young men who have showcased their skills time and time again in the ERLs, and their commitment and focus aligns massively with the organization coming this spring.
“Oscarinine brings a commanding presence in the top lane worthy of taking on the best in the LEC. Anyone who listens to Fnatic TQ will understand just how capable she is.
“Advienne brings a mature, pragmatic and vocal presence to the team, using her previous experience with XL to deliver impressive performances and unite the team.
“Most importantly, we believe that both players fit perfectly into the chemistry of the current squads and share the same team-wide mentality, an important factor that we are pursuing this offseason.”
Fnatic also made personnel changes, bringing in Tomáš “Nightshare” Kněžínek as their new head coach. Nightshare is well known in the Czech LoL scene and has experience with Immortals in the LCS.
fnatic said: “Tomáš brings a wealth of experience from many walks of life, as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
“A hugely emotionally intelligent individual, Nightshare instantly connected to the group from the very start and was instrumental in getting every player on the same page and setting the right goals for the team at the moment. coming.”
The announcement talked about the difficulties the team faced and why these changes were made.
Fnatic added: “Ahead of spring, we also took a close look at internal team structure, leadership and cohesion to see what was wrong and where we can build and improve.
“One thing was clear: we weren’t ready for winter. Lack of preparation and few established routines meant increased pressure on stage, with a clash of different goals and player profiles complicating meaningful improvement. “
In closing they said: “Go and warmly welcome our new members, and as always: Once Fnatic, #ALWAYSFNATIC.”