The team Fnatic was one of the top teams in the European League of Legends for years. But in 2021, things did not go well at all. The star player Rekkles was gone, contracts of 3 main players expired, and the results were poor. However, with 3 rather bold changes to the roster, the team managed to make a turnaround.
This was the crisis of Fnatic: The spring of 2021 was poor for Fnatic. In the playoffs of the Spring Split 2021 of the LEC, they missed the semifinals for the first time in four years, were eliminated by Schalke 04, and finished only 5th in the LEC. The problems were manifold:
- Fnatic had lost the star player Rekkles – he plays for G2 Esports
- There were issues between top laner Bwipo and jungler Selfmade, the actual star of the team – they had clashed publicly in November 2020 when Bwipo criticized his jungler in an interview
- The contracts of Bwipo, Selfmade, and support Hyssilang expired at the end of 2021 – Bwipo and Selfmade made it clear: They would not extend
Fnatic seemed like a discontinued model before summer 2021, while young teams like Rogue or Mad Lions were just rising and looked like the future of the LEC.
Move 1: Fnatic recruits young star, without a place for him in the team
A bold move was to bring in a 19-year-old French player, regarded as a super talent. The problem was: Adam plays in the top lane, where Fnatic already had a constant in Bwipo, who was essentially the leader of the team. He is also close friends with Hyssilang, who they actually want to keep.
If they let Bwipo go, they would disrupt the core of Fnatic.
However, Fnatic wanted to secure Adam now, even before Bwipo’s contract expired, to have less competition for the European top talent.
Move 2: Fnatic moves its top laner to the jungle
The strangest move was ultimately shifting top laner Bwipo to the jungle. A “role swap” for a 22-year-old veteran seems absurd at first glance. However, as the coaches of Fnatic communicate in a conversation with dotesports (via dotesports), it was a conscious decision that had been toyed with before.
The coaches of Fnatic believed: Bwipo would be better suited in the jungle than in the top lane.
After all, Bwipo communicates excellently and has a great feel for initiating team fights and creating opportunities. Skills that shine more in the jungle than in the top lane.
Moreover, Bwipo gets along great with Hyssilang, so they wanted to keep him, thus enhancing the synergy.
Move 3: Fnatic gives up its best player
The jungler Selfmade was formally regarded as the strongest player at Fnatic. But he was the one they gave up. He now plays for Team Vitality, as he wanted to remain only as a “starter” at Fnatic.
However, this role went to Bwipo.
Fnatic is in 2nd place in the LEC
So how is it now for Fnatic? It actually looked clear that summer 2021 would go quite poorly for Fnatic. They had a rookie in the top lane and a jungler who had to learn the job anew. But above all, they had just sold one of the best junglers in Europe.
But now the team stands excellently at 10-5. Although they lost the last two games, Fnatic is in 2nd place in the LEC:
- Adam is already considered one of the top talents in Europe in the top lane after half a year in the LEC.
- Bwipo is generally praised for his play in the jungle – the role swap seems to be going even better than Fnatic thought
- Only for Selfmade does the future not look so super. His new team Vitality stands at 5-10 in second to last place in the LEC: Only Schalke is doing worse
Germany loses its best professional team in LoL because Schalke fails in football
