Sources: NAVI retains Adam ahead of LEC Debut

The foundations of Natus Vincere’s LEC project are beginning to take shape. Set to replace Rogue in the EMEA League of Legends competition this Summer, the Ukrainian organization must determine which players will make the transition as well. Indeed, according to Sheep Esports sources, NAVI recovers Rogue players' contracts as part of their LEC deal. However, like any team, they are allowed to make changes and plan accordingly.

Per sources, the team first plans to retain Adam “Adam” Maanane. The toplaner has undoubtedly been Rogue’s standout performer—and arguably their only consistent individual success—since the start of the year. Despite the team’s poor results (finishing last in both of the season's first splits), Adam regularly managed to hold solid laning phases, often emerging as the team’s sole beacon of hope.

Statistically, he is ranked as the fourth-best toplaner in the LEC this Spring according to our Sheep Stats tool, earning a score of 65/100. A testament to the heavy reliance Rogue placed on him, the former Team BDS player led all toplaners in Kill Participation during the Spring Split (69%), secured the most kills per game (4.22), and is ranked second in Damage Per Minute (660.26). In other words, Adam’s continued presence in the LEC appears entirely justified, and NAVI’s reported intention to retain the French player seems logical.

Still, according to our information, Emil "Larssen" Larsson, Rogue’s franchise player, is likely to stay in NAVI. Although clearly less dominant over the past two seasons, the Swedish midlaner has long remained among the league’s most reputable players at his position. He notably won the Summer Split in 2022 alongside Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong, who returned to Rogue this year after a stint in Brazil. However, the duo has not recaptured the synergy that defined their peak in 2022—an edge that already seemed diminished in 2023—and their paths may soon diverge once again. The jungler's future remains unclear and is one of the major unknowns at this stage.

The other one, according to our sources, is about Rogue’s botlane. NAVI first planned to allow the duo — AD Carry Patrik "Patrik" Jírů and support Lee "Execute" Jeong-hoon — to explore other team options. Nevertheless, NAVI may ultimately choose to keep their current botlane, given the sluggish market and the difficulty of finding suitable replacements.

A longstanding figure in the LEC, Patrik has spent several years among the league's most respected ADCs. However, the Czech player now appears to lag behind the region’s top performers at his position, such as Elias “Upset” Lipp, Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert, or Steven “Hans sama” Liv. Statistically, he was the lowest-rated ADC during the Winter Split (44/100), and second-to-last in Spring (57/100), despite posting a respectable DPM of 748.8—third-highest among ADCs.

Execute, meanwhile, left the LEC following a decent 2023 season with Astralis, during which he played under the name JeongHoon, despite the team’s broader struggles. The South Korean support failed to make much of an impression in 2024 while playing in the LCK for FearX, and returned to Europe only late in the offseason, as Rogue were forced to finalize their roster at the last minute. Like his lane partner, Execute struggled significantly in early 2024, being ranked only eighth among supports during Winter (62/100) and ultimately finishing last at his position in the Spring Split (58/100).

Rogue’s botlane was undoubtedly among the least functional in the LEC this season, so it is not particularly surprising that NAVI would seek to rebuild this part of the map. But, at this point, it's still possible that NAVI will head into the Summer Split with an unchanged roster.