Fnatic’s veteran player Rekkles opened up about the disastrous start of the 2023 League of Legends competitive season by the team in a rare livestream earlier today.
He answered questions from the chat, opening up about his mindset following a disappointing start of the season, and coming into the LEC Spring Split, which will kick off next month.
He said that the break between both Splits was plagued by strong uncertainty for every player on the roster, who all feared for their position within the team. This includes himself, who revealed feeling “at the mercy of Upset” during the break.
The team initiated talks with the benched bot laner to determine whether he was going to return in the active roster in Spring, according to Rekkles.
“This really caught me off-guard […] even though it makes sense since this guy is fucking good,” he said in the livestream as he became more emotional. “I told Fnatic that I needed assurance that Upset wasn’t playing for them in 2023 because otherwise, it didn’t make sense for me to commit. … They actually gave me assurance [before I joined], so that’s why I felt so empty now when I heard this. … I didn’t really feel sad or angry. It was just an empty feeling.”
Shortly after Rekkles’ livestream, League reporter Wooloo tweeted that Upset “reached a verbal agreement” with Vitality to join its LEC team ahead of Spring.
Rekkles didn’t hint at Upset leaving Fnatic being a done deal, though. He said that Fnatic put them both in an uncomfortable position and that something would have to change for either of them in the future. He didn’t feel the situation was resolved yet.
Rekkles said he encountered hardships in both the Winter split and the break. “[It] was a very negative experience for me, being uncertain, hearing all these things happening behind my back,” he added.
Related: Fnatic reportedly set to appoint new LEC head coach
Still, Rekkles also expressed hopes and determination ahead of the team’s next matches. He said he expected to get a “fresh start” in the Spring Split and that Fnatic already worked on fixing their mistakes, covering various aspects of their performance such as training, strategy, and more.
“I can say it’s going in the right direction,” he said. Rekkles also hinted at roster changes, although he didn’t specify what they’ll entail specifically.
The team might announce some drastic changes soon, as rumors pointed at replacing their head coach, top laner Wunder, as well as rookie support Rhuckz. The team has yet to announce any roster change, though.
The LEC Winter Split has crowned G2 Esports champions last week, sending them to April’s Mid-Season Invitational. Now, teams are preparing to return on stage when LEC Spring Split kicks off on March 11.
