Fnatic has replaced toplaner Noh “Gamsu” Young-Jin in favor of Mateusz “Kikis” Szkudlarek, formerly of G2 Esports.
“It has become clear to us that our organisational goals and ideals are not aligned,” Fnatic said about the decision.
The move comes exactly one month after Kikis stepped down from his position on G2’s starting roster. The Polish toplaner gave the organization an ultimatum after the team began practicing separate hours with newly acquired player Ki “Expect” Dae-han.
“I decided to bring this up with G2, asking for an increase in scrim time and a more guaranteed starter spot,” Kikis said at the time. But G2 wasn’t willing to accede to the demands and break promises it had likely made to Expect. Kikis stepped down as a result and have been working with Kikis to find a new team.
Gamsu joined Fnatic, one of the most successful brands in European League of Legends Championship history, just seven months ago. The former Dignitas toplaner moved to Europe along with famed South Korean jungler Lee “Spirit” Da-yun in what has been described as a package deal for Spirit.
The team started the 2016 Spring Split relatively slowly, at least compared to previous splits, placing sixth at the end of the regular season. This was still enough to secure a spot in the playoffs. Fnatic beat Vitality Gaming in a convincing 3-1 series in the quarterfinals but lost in the semis to eventual winners G2, marking the first time the organization did not play in an EU LCS grand final.
Published: Jul 12, 2016 02:12 pm