Sources: NAVI adds Maynter to LEC lineup ahead of 2026, over Empyros and Oscarinin

Right after lifting the EMEA Masters trophy, Toplaner Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin is set to join Natus Vincere in the LEC for the 2026 season, sources tell Sheep Esports on Monday. The 24-year-old Ukrainian toplaner (turning 25 on December 15) will join the league’s only Ukrainian organization — a move that makes perfect sense. He recently won the 2025 EMEA Masters Summer Split with Karmine Corp Blue, defeating Los Heretics in the final.

Maynter was also considered by other LEC teams, including SK Gaming, who eventually signed Martin "Wunder" Hansen, as previously reported by Sheep Esports, as well as Fnatic, who had also shown interest. However, NAVI were the first team to move in and aim to secure him. On their side, the organization had other options on the table, such as Panagiotis "Empyros" Tantis from Gentle Mates or Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz, who was allowed to explore his options by Fnatic.

NAVI have already locked in three players for their 2026 roster. First, Turkish jungler Enes "Rhilech" Uçan has been secured for months, long before the 2025 Summer Split, which was played by Francisco "Thayger" Mazo. Korean AD Carry Lee "Hans SamD" Jae-hoon will be retained in the botlane.

Maynter now joins this new iteration of NAVI, which will finally field a roster entirely of their own choosing. As a reminder, the Ukrainian organization acquired Rogue’s LEC slot at the end of the 2025 Spring Split but had to retain the players and coaching staff under contract. Speaking of which, the coaching staff has also been completely revamped, with Vasilis "TheRock" Voltis as Head Coach, assisted by Jorge "Lopon" López and Adrien "GotoOne" Picard.

In other roles, NAVI is still searching for the right profiles. At support, Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong will not be part of the roster, and the team is still exploring the market for that position. The same goes for midlane, where Emil "Larssen" Larsson’s starting spot for 2026 is uncertain. More recently, Vladimiros "Vladi" Kourtidis has been at the center of offseason discussions, with NAVI among the teams showing interest in the Greek midlaner, and he is still in NAVI's shortlist for midlane.

After several years competing across various ERLs, Maynter is finally stepping up to the LEC. He began his career in the LCL before joining Lille Esports in the LFL Division 2 in 2022, then moved to Team du Sud, with whom he won two splits and secured promotion to the LFL. He later joined Karmine Corp Blue, claiming two LFL titles (Spring 2024 and Summer 2025), the Flash In tournament, and finally the EMEA Masters.

It’s been a long road for the Ukrainian toplaner, who had to play from his home country under difficult conditions due to the war, and who repeatedly faced visa issues preventing him from joining the LEC. In an interview with Sheep Esports earlier this year, Maynter said: “Should I make it to the LEC, if it’s not with Karmine Corp, representing a Ukrainian org like NAVI would be a dream.” That dream has now become reality.

Toplane: Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin

Jungle: Enes "Rhilech" Uçan

Midlane: TBD

AD Carry: Lee "Hans SamD" Jae-hoon

Support: TBD

Head Coach: Vasilis "TheRock" Voltis

Assistant Coach: Adrien "GotoOne" Picard

Assistant Coach: Jorge "Lopon" López

For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub and Offseason Live Tracker.