After another disappointing run at the 2025 World Championships, FNATIC looks ready to commit to a roster overhaul after sticking with the same core for two years. Fabian “Grabbz” Lohmann—who became head coach early this year—will remain in charge of the Orange & Black, but will have the chance to build his own roster.

After crashing out of Worlds without winning a single series, both Grabbz and top laner Óscar “Oscarinin” Muñoz Jiménez suggested that roster changes would be necessary because the current iteration of the team simply isn’t clicking. 

Endless Options, Limited Funds

FNATIC just paid out a year of former mid laner Marek “Humanoid” Brázda’s contract, and has Oscarinin, Iván Martín “Razork” Díaz, Yoon ‘Poby’ Sung-won, and Elias ‘Upset’ Lipp still contracted until the end of 2026. Former support Mihael ‘Mikyx’ Mehle has already departed to join SK Gaming. 

FNATIC is extremely unlikely to contract an entirely new roster of players until some of their existing assets have been moved on. These deals have been slow to progress, however, resulting in a slow start to the offseason. 

The Rumour Mill

The League of Legends offseason is always a swirling vortex of rumours, and several of FNATIC’s attempted dealings have been reported in the media. It seems likely that Razork will be joining GIANTX, which opens up some capital for the team. 

FNATIC is eager to shift Oscarinin, but thus far, no team has bitten. It’s unlikely that they will continue to field the Spanish top laner, but allowing him to remain as an inactive player is an expensive prospect for the organization. 

As for Poby and Upset, these two appear the most likely to remain with the team. There are few, if any, rumors about the pair leaving, and both joined the team within the last year (Poby joined before Summer).

FNATIC’s Failed Attempts

The aforementioned rumour mill has also detailed some of FNATIC’s enquiries.

Notably, the team tried to acquire Shin “Rooster” Yun-hwan, but the top laner ultimately chose BDS. There were also enquiries made for Volodomyr “Maynter” Sorokin (joined NAVI), Sebastian “Tracyn” Wojtoń, Baek “Mihile” Sang-hwi, and Martin “Wunder” Nordahl Hansen (joined SK).

In the jungle, FNATIC wanted Enes “Rhilech” Uçan, but NAVI declined a swap for Razork. There have been a few murmurings about the team’s support prospects, the team’s only vacant role. However, there was a suggestion that a deal including Razork could be worked out for GIANTX’s support Yoon “Jun” Se-jun.

Six Players Who Could Change FNATIC

With Poby and Upset likely to stay on the team, we’ve pitted six players (two from each role besides mid and ADC) who would be strong additions to the next generation of FNATIC. It should be noted that, should Poby stay, the team would only have a single import slot available for the rest of the roster.

#1. Johnny “Yukino” Dang (Jungle)

After a stellar performance in the 2025 EMEA Masters Main Event, Yukino is the hottest prospect in Europe. The young jungler was Karmine Corp Blue’s standout player in their championship-winning split—and he’s made a firm commitment to stay in Europe rather than return to the U.S.

Yukino seems to operate with an innate knowledge of the right time to skirmish in the early to mid-game. This quality was evident in the KCB’s final series against Los Heretics, as Yukino consistently earned his team leads with snap engages on Jarvan IV, Pantheon, and Vi.

FNATIC is used to operating with an aggressive jungler, but Yukino plays with the self-confidence that Razork seems to have lost over the years. However, prying Yukino away from KCB when the academy team is set to compete in the LEC Winter Cup could be a tall order.

#2. Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé (Support)

It’s been extensively reported that Karmine Corp has imported Alan “Busio” Cwalina from FlyQuest, leaving Targamas without a home for the upcoming season. The Frenchman is a dependable pair of hands who has shown a high ceiling in the past.

Upset is a player who values consistency in the lane, as he plays a risk-adverse style to scale. Targamas and Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert rarely found themselves outclassed in lane during their time together.

However, FNATIC could be given pause by the fact that Upset and Targamas’ last stint together on Karmine Corp wasn’t fruitful for either. Targamas may lack the playmaking flair of his potential predecessor, but he’s a dependable option that can hold his own among Europe’s best supports.

#3. Kadir “Fleshy” Kemiksiz (Support)

If FNATIC had to pursue a more proactive player, then Fleshy is a natural choice. The Turkish support favors aggressive, playmaking champions such as Rell, and his pocket pick, Pyke. He’s a natural replacement for Mikyx, and could bring a dynamism that someone like Targamas wouldn’t. 

Fleshy impressed on a young Team Vitality roster, racking up the highest kill participation (82%) of any player in LEC Summer. He’s a proactive player who would combine well with an aggressive-minded jungler. He’s contracted to Team Vitality until the end of next year, but a buyout is certainly possible.

#4. Cho “Castle” Hyeon-seong (Top)

A glaring weakness of Oscarinin is his laning, with the Spaniard ranking in the bottom half of top laners by average gold difference at 15 minutes (GD@15). By contrast, Castle ranked fifth overall in this same stat at this year’s LTA North.

Despite being on weaker rosters for his entire career, the Korean top laner has consistently found ways to generate his own leads in isolation. Castle and Oscarinin play similar champions: Gwen, Rumble, Ambessa, but Castle’s laning prowess accelerates these carry-oriented picks faster.

Castle often struggles when he has to sacrifice leads to bail out weaker teammates, but FNATIC’s improved roster could change that, making him a real carry outlet for the European side. Currently with Disguised, one of the lowest-paying teams in the LTA, he should be an easily obtainable pickup for the Orange & Black.

#5. Ismaïl “Isma” Boualem (Jungle)

Isma is a player who’s been bounced from team to team over the last year, but he remains one of the top “cusp” players in Europe. A player that’s clearly too good for the ERLs (second-tier EMEA tournament system), but one that’s yet to have a breakout split in the LEC. Still, his stats are solid.

He has 78% kill participation across the entire year, with a First Blood% of 28%—the third-highest in the league. He’s clearly an intelligent, proactive jungler who can offer a lot to FNATIC. There’s every chance that Isma can grow to become one of Europe’s top junglers if given a stable home.

Isma currently plays for GIANTX, and if Razork does wind up being transferred to that organization, then there’s every chance that Isma is sent back the other way. 

#6. Mathias “Szygenda” Jensen

Szygenda offers a similar skillset to Castle, while being a European native. Although BK ROG Esports didn’t advance from the LFL to the EMEA Masters Main Event, Syzgenda has continued to put up very consistent laning stats all year. 

Across the entirety of 2025 in the LFL, the Dane had the highest GD@15 and CSD@15 (farm difference at fifteen minutes) out of all top laners in the league. He also posted the second-highest DMG/M (damage per minute) among top laners, favoring lane-dominant champs like Rumble, Aatrox, and Gnar.

Although he’s a worse prospect than Castle, we believe he’s one of the best pick-ups FNATIC could pursue outside of the many top laners they’ve already spoken to. 

All On The Line

It’s a big year for FNATIC: accusations of mismanagement in the League of Legends division have dogged the organisation for years, but the public outcry is only becoming louder. Although the team almost always manages to qualify for Worlds, they almost always disappoint their fans with their performance. 

The breaking up of the flagging core of Oscarinin, Razork, and Humanoid is a positive step forward for the organization. Still, fans are likely to be concerned about the lack of business that has occurred over the last couple of weeks. 

FAQs

How many import slots do teams have?

Each major league, including the LEC, LCS, LCK, and LPL, allows teams to have up to two players who don’t hold residency in that region.

What happens if FNATIC can't sell their players?

It seems unlikely that FNATIC would keep two inactive players on the payroll. Most likely, one of these players would remain inactive, and the other would stay on the starting roster.

How much money does FNATIC have?

Though financials aren’t public, FNATIC has long been seen as one of the wealthier teams in the league. Humanoid was one of the highest-paid esports players in the LEC before FNATIC bought him out of his contract.