Oscarinin teamless for Winter, targeting LEC return

Back when Fnatic still had an academy team in 2022, young Spanish talent Óscar “Oscarinin” Muñoz Jiménez joined the Black and Orange in Tier 2, competing in the Spanish league, after a few years spent playing in his home region. With Fnatic TQ, Oscarinin was clearly a level above the rest of the competition, and his performances earned him a spot on Fnatic’s main team in the LEC one year and three months later, in March 2023, replacing veteran toplaner Martin “Wunder” Nordahl Hansen.

While his first week of performance in the LEC was catastrophic, Oscarinin quickly adapted to the big stage and delivered impressive showings, proving his potential as a rookie. This rapid progression led him to his first Worlds appearance in an impressive debut season.

Following a boost in confidence from both fans and the player himself, 2024 started with promise for Fnatic, but Oscarinin’s performances remained inconsistent, and his growth failed to fully materialize. 2025 felt like a similar story: Fnatic entered the year with a strong roster on paper, but Oscarinin never truly managed to stand out among his teammates or other toplaners in the league. His peak performance likely came against Karmine Corp toplaner Kim “Canna” Chang-dong in Fnatic’s Worlds-qualifying best-of-five. Oscarinin delivered true carry performances, solokilling Canna multiple times and leading his team to Worlds with a 3–1 victory. However, this would be his last truly convincing series.

Still, Oscarinin’s achievements in the LEC should not be undermined. Qualifying for Worlds three times out of three possible appearances is a feat many European players would dream of.

During the 2025–2026 offseason, following a disappointing Worlds performance, Fnatic explored roster changes across all positions. Despite reported interest from NAVI, no LEC team ultimately showed interest in securing Oscarinin as their starting toplaner, opting for other options instead.

With several players already under contract and a clear desire for change, Fnatic decided to retain AD carry Elias “Upset” Lipp and jungler Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz for their 2026 roster, leaving little room for Oscarinin to remain as the starting toplaner. Ultimately, Fnatic chose to bet once again on a rookie, signing former Gentle Mates toplaner Panagiotis “Empyros” Tantis.

On Wednesday, Fnatic announced Oscarinin’s departure, despite his contract initially being set to expire in November 2026. While sources did not confirm the details to Sheep Esports, it is reasonable to assume that the contract termination was reached by mutual agreement, likely involving a termination fee to compensate for the salary the Spanish toplaner would have earned while benched.

Following the announcement, Oscarinin shared a message on X, expressing his desire to return to the LEC and confirming that he will be teamless for 2026. He explained that he plans to focus on streaming and grinding solo queue during the Winter Split in order to make his return to Europe’s top league as soon as possible.

For 2026, the LEC toplane pool is expected to look as follows:

It remains to be seen whether Oscarinin will be able to replace any of these LEC toplaners. With other former Tier 1 players, such as Adam "Adam" Maanane or Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau, also looking to return as soon as possible, the competition to re-enter the league will be fierce.

Check out our Transfers Hub to explore all LEC Versus rosters, the new competition taking place during the Winter Split.