Sources: Fnatic deciding between Empyros, Oscarinin, and Shelfmade in Toplane

Fnatic is currently facing important decisions regarding their toplane for the 2026 LEC season. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, the organization is considering two promising talents, Panagiotis "Empyros" Tantis and Francesco "Shelfmade" Cardia (less likely), as potential starters, while remaining open to the possibility of retaining Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz. Both Oscarinin and Shelfmade have backup options in the ERLs should they fail to join Fnatic.

As previously reported, Fnatic considered numerous toplaners before narrowing their shortlist down to these three players. Volodymyr “Maynter” Sorokin (Karmine Corp Blue) ultimately chose to join Natus Vincere, Kim "Canna" Chang-dong re-signed with Karmine Corp, and Shin “Rooster” Yun-hwan is staying with Team BDS. For a longer part of the offseason, toplaner Baek “Mihile” Sang-hwi (MISA Esports) was strongly considered. However, it seems that the team is now aiming to have a toplaner from Europe.

Note that most of those players never received an offer from Fnatic, but were taken into consideration. So this does not mean that Empyros and Shelfmade are the last options. In fact, both players have been considered very early on by Fnatic and have been waiting the entire offseason for the possibility to join the organization in the LEC.

Oscarinin, who has been with Fnatic for nearly three years, was among the first players allowed by the club to explore other opportunities. Despite delivering standout moments—such as an impressive best-of-five series against Karmine Corp that helped Fnatic secure Worlds qualification—his performance and the team’s overall cohesion were heavily scrutinized by fans throughout 2025.

With his contract running until late 2026, Fnatic now finds itself at a financial and strategic crossroads. Keeping Oscarinin on the bench while also paying the salary of a new toplaner would be an expensive choice, making a transfer to another team the preferred outcome. NAVI reportedly explored the possibility of signing either him or Empyros, but ultimately went with Maynter instead. With no LEC teams currently holding an open toplane spot, Oscarinin’s departure has become increasingly complicated, leaving the option of him staying on the bench extremely likely.

His potential replacements are two rookies who could enter the LEC in a similar way to Oscarinin’s own promotion to Fnatic’s main roster three years ago. Shelfmade has competed in the Prime League for several seasons and now appears ready for his LEC debut. Likewise, Empyros is expected to make his first appearance in the league following an impressive 2025 season with Gentle Mates. After years of developing across multiple ERLs, his breakout this year finally brought his talent to the forefront.

Both rookies do have a fallback plan should they fail to make it to Fnatic. Many teams in the ERLs, including Joblife, Solary, Misa Esports, and G2 Academy, are interested in at least one of the two toplaners.

Fnatic’s offseason signals a broader rebuild beyond the toplane. With the departure of support star Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle to SK Gaming, the departure of Yoon "Poby" Sung-won, and only head coach Fabian “GrabbZ” Lohmann confirmed to remain, the organization is preparing for major shifts across the entire roster.

GrabbZ has indicated in his recent streams that “all roles are subject to change,” highlighting the uncertain but promising future for Fnatic as they aim to reclaim their competitive edge in 2026.