Tomáš "Nightshare" Kněžínek and Fnatic part ways during this offseason. Nightshare himself announced the decision in a tweet shared this Monday afternoon. Without explaining the reasons, it seems that Fnatic are looking for a fresh start this transfer window after spending two years rebuilding around a core that has remained unchanged for the past year and a half.
Nightshare explains that he joined Fnatic at the beginning of Spring 2023, following a disastrous Winter for the organization, which had just experienced its worst result in history (9th place). With his arrival, the team had to endure a challenging Spring (8th place), making the decision to promote Oscar "Oscarinin" Munoz and bench Martin "Wunder" Hansen.
They also changed the botlane in the Summer, replacing Martin "Rekkles" Larsson and Henk "Advienne" Reijenga with Oh "Noah" Hyeon-taek and Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus, whose arrival helped Fnatic secure third place and earn a spot in the Season Finals. They went all the way to the grand final and qualified for Worlds. A winning coaching strategy for Nightshare.
This year has been no less glorious for him in Europe, with Fnatic becoming the league's eternal runner-up behind G2, who had a larger coaching staff. Nightshare notes, however, that due to budget constraints, he was unable to bring on more support, such as a Strategic Coach and a Performance Coach, throughout the year. He leaves satisfied with having brought Fnatic back to the forefront of the European scene, and his successor will have to perform at least as well.
Header Photo Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
