Fnatic Faces Roster Changes Ahead of LCS Split
In the wake of significant offseason changes, Fnatic, one of the top teams in the League of Legends esports scene, is in need of nearly an entire new roster. Many of the team’s star players have left, leaving Fnatic scrambling to find replacements.
Departures Leave Fnatic with Big Shoes to Fill
The exodus began with the departure of Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, Europe’s strongest AD Carry, who joined rival organization Alliance. This was followed by the announcements that mid-laner Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez would be leaving to form his own organization, Origen, and veteran jungler Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen would be retiring. In addition, the Daily Dot reported that Paul “soaZ” Boyer was also set to leave, most likely joining Origen.
Fnatic Struggles to Assemble New Team
With the next LCS split set to start in a month, Fnatic is in a race against time to find a capable team. One position that seemed easy to fill was the AD carry role. Erik “Tabzz” van Helvert, who was statistically the second best player in that position, was available after Larsson’s departure. However, Fnatic has not shown interest in van Helvert according to a source close to the player.
Instead, Fnatic has chosen to take a chance on 17-year-old AD Carry Pierre “Steelback” Medjaldi, who previously played for SK Prime. While highly rated in the Challenger scene, Medjaldi has not played for an LCS team before.
Fnatic’s History of Discovering Talent
Fans skeptical of the decision to sign Medjaldi can take solace in Fnatic’s track record of uncovering hidden talent. Johannes “puszu” Uibos and Larsson were both relatively unknown players before joining Fnatic, and they went on to achieve success with the team.
Fnatic’s Overhaul Continues
Although Fnatic has yet to make a formal announcement about its new roster, the addition of Medjaldi brings them one step closer to completing the roster overhaul that began after their disappointing performance at the World Championship.
Image by NervyZombie/DeviantArt
Fnatic, LCS, esports, roster changes, AD carry, Steelback, talent discovery