After Fnatic failed to meet expectations and missed out on qualifying for the 2023 LEC Winter Split group stage, many League of Legends fans have been questioning the team’s strategy and roster choices in the offseason.
Adding to the conversation, LFL team Aegis manager Lounet revealed yesterday on Twitter that Rekkles wasn’t even Fnatic’s first choice AD carry.
“Rekkles was fifth or sixth on the list, only, nobody wanted to play with the support,” he said, referring to Rhuckz.
He implied Fnatic wasn’t able to sign its first choices because the organization had already locked in the rookie support without talking to potential bot laners first, which didn’t play in its favor during negotiations.
“Well, he’s a sup tier two-three, you don’t lock this first,” he added, criticizing Fnatic’s decision-making during the offseason. “You never lock a support no one wants first, if he’s not tier-one, there’s no use.”
If Fnatic truly signed Rhuckz before finding an AD carry, it’s no surprise this impacted further negotiations with players.
In January, G2 Esports manager Romain Bigeard revealed the org was able to sign bot laner Hans Sama only because they’d already signed Mikyx.
Related: G2’s LEC manager details the one requirement Hans Sama needed to join the team
Bot lane synergy is vital and even more so this year, with the new LEC format leaving little room for mistakes in the regular split.
While Fnatic proved their mechanical prowess in the LEC this split, they blatantly lacked synergy, which gave their opponents opportunities to take them by surprise. The team now have over a month to get back on their feet and prepare for the Spring Split.
