Fnatic’s head League of Legends coach Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi is reportedly moving on from the organization after two seasons. Fnatic is set to promote and sign replacement coaches at both the LEC and ERL levels for the 2023 season, leaving YamatoCannon on the market, according to a report from Alejandro Gomis of Blix.gg.
Next season, Fnatic’s LEC team will reportedly be coached by Gonçalo “Crusher” Pinto Brandão, who currently serves as the head coach of the franchise’s ERL-level team, Fnatic TQ, which competes in the Spanish Superliga.
Filling Crusher’s void at Fnatic TQ will reportedly be Joshua “Jarge” Smith, a long-tenured coach with organizations across Europe and North America, including Excel, Team Liquid, and, most recently, Movistar Riders. Jarge worked with Fnatic during the 2015 season as an analyst, so his reported move to the organization’s ERL-level team would mark a reunion nearly eight years in the making.
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As for YamatoCannon, the well-experienced coach will be back on the market for the first time since the 2020-21 offseason. In two years with Fnatic, he brought the team to the LEC playoffs in four possible splits, finishing in the top three on three occasions, while qualifying for Worlds in both of his years with the team.
In 2020, YamatoCannon became the first Western League coach in history to be signed as a head coach in Korea’s LCK when he joined Liiv SANDBOX. Although he lasted just one split with the team, he broke ground in the east. It’s unclear if a potential return to Korea is on the table for YamatoCannon at this time. He left the region to return to the LEC following the 2020 season, citing “personal reasons.”
YamatoCannon’s contract with Fnatic will expire on Nov. 21, according to the League global contract database.
Published: Nov 9, 2022 04:57 pm