Which LEC Teams Won the 2026 Offseason? Full Tier List and Grades
Ethan Cohen
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The LEC offseason has, unofficially, reached its conclusion. According to Sheep Esports, every organization in the EMEA league has already reached verbal agreements with their intended rosters, and the scene now awaits official confirmations. The question is whether these choices inspire confidence or disappointment. Here are Hotspawn’s evaluations of the teams set to compete in the 2026 season, as well as the two ERL teams that will take part in the LEC Versus.
Karmine Corp: 8/10
Karmine Corp appears to have delivered the strongest offseason in the league heading into 2026. Their biggest success was securing Canna for two additional years, an impressive feat given how highly contested he was — Team Liquid even made him a substantial offer, according to sources. Many viewed him as the best player in the LEC last year. KC also reinforced its botlane by bringing in Busio from FlyQuest, widely regarded as the top Western support in 2025.
The team then added midlaner Kyeahoo, who, although not their first choice—KC initially pursued Quid before he joined TL — remained their second option. Despite being only 20, he already carries meaningful experience from the LCK and LCK CL, and was even Rank 1 on the Korean ladder at the time of the verbal agreement.
Among the teams that made changes, KC’s roster is by far the most convincing. Anything short of a top-3 finish in every split would be considered a major disappointment.
Fnatic: 4/10
Fnatic likely experienced the most turbulent offseason, and the end result feels underwhelming. The team managed to secure Vladi, a potential generational midlane talent, but his arrival comes with concerns. It is widely known that he was at the center of internal issues within his previous team during the latter half of the year. Considering Fnatic’s long-standing difficulties managing players with volatile profiles, this represents a significant risk. Yet, given the team’s current state and its eight-year title drought, it may be a gamble worth taking.
Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
Fnatic reportedly attempted to reacquire their former support Jun from GIANTX with an offer of around €200,000. When that fell through, they turned to GX’s academy prospect Lospa, a promising but inexperienced support. Efforts to upgrade/change the dynamics in the jungle or AD carry positions also appear to have been unsuccessful. In the toplane, they recruited Empyros—a talented player who, however, never truly established himself as one of the most dominant forces in the LFL this year. For the first time in years, Fnatic might not enter the season as a clear top-four contender on paper, an alarming prospect for such a historic organization.
Natus Vincere (NAVI) : 7.5/10
NAVI needed to make a statement after taking over Rogue’s slot last Summer, and it’s clear they chose to start from scratch. They were among the first teams to act during the offseason, assembling their staff and roster well ahead of the competition.
The end result isn’t a superteam on the level of G2 or KC, but it is an ambitious and promising project built around strong individual talent and players known for their professionalism and relentless work ethic. If the synergy develops as expected, this roster has the potential to push the league’s top teams. That said, several elements of the lineup remain calculated risks.
One of the biggest question marks is Parus, who fell short of expectations during his time with BDS in 2025. This season will be a decisive test, showing whether he was part of the underlying issue or simply a player who struggled in an environment that didn’t allow him to showcase his potential as a top support.
SK Gaming: 3/10
SK Gaming’s project displays a striking lack of competitive ambition, a disappointing approach for an organization competing in such a coveted league. The team seems to have handed full control of roster building to Mikyx, who brought in two of his close friends, Wunder and LIDER. This is far from reassuring, considering neither has played since last Winter in the NLC, where their team finished only 5th–6th, and Wunder appeared in just a handful of playoff matches. LIDER has not been seen in the LEC since 2023, and Wunder is coming off a difficult 2024 with Team Heretics.
Perhaps this reunion will rekindle their form, but expectations remain low, and Mikyx’s lineup has a great deal to prove if they hope to silence the doubters. One bright spot is the arrival of Jopa, a player who has long deserved a chance in the LEC and who should benefit from working with a veteran support.
Team Heretics: 5.5/10
Although Team Heretics has not radically upgraded its roster, the organization has at least addressed the roles that appeared to hold Team Heretics back last year. The promotion of Tracyn from their academy aims to stabilize the toplane, while the signing of Serin from the LFL’s Galions superteam brings one of the most anticipated midlane arrivals of the year. His individual dominance in the ERLs made him a natural candidate for the LEC.
Tracyn, too, had been mentioned as a potential LEC player last season and once again demonstrated this year that he deserved the opportunity. Meanwhile, Ice reunites with his former BDS jungler, Sheo, re-establishing a synergy that previously played a significant part in BDS’s success.
Team BDS: 4.5/10
BDS seem to be stagnating as they head into 2026. After finishing as one of the weakest teams of the Summer 2025 split—and despite heavy spending following Spring, including a €200,000 investment in Boukada—their attempt to reverse their trajectory fell short. As a result, the organization is once again reshaping its roster.
Photo Credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games
This time, the overhaul focuses on the botlane, with the arrivals of Trymbi, a veteran LEC support who reached Worlds with VKS in Brazil, and Paduck, joining from the LCK CL. Although these changes alone do not guarantee substantial improvement, the topside remains solid, and a refreshed team dynamic may be the only thing BDS needs to finally move forward.
Vitality: 6/10
Vitality made only one change for next season, replacing their midlaner, but the move carries significant risk. Still, the overall impression of their offseason remains positive, mainly because the team was already on an upward trajectory.
Their improvement during the Summer split, driven in large part by finally playing with a true support rather than a roleswapped one, suggested real growth: Czajek and Naak Nako were among the most consistent members of the team throughout the year in official matches.
Humanoid’s arrival, however, will allow Team Vitality to reunite the trio with Pad and Carzzy, who previously won everything on MAD Lions. The question is whether he can rediscover the level and motivation he seemed to lose during his final months with Fnatic.
Karmine Corp Blue and Los Ratones: N/A
In KCB’s case, internal sources confirm that the roster was never intended to be competitive for the LEC Versus. The organization is instead setting performance-driven expectations for the rest of the year within the Tier 2 ecosystem.
Los Ratones, meanwhile, never aimed to assemble a high-level competitive roster. As Caedrel mentioned on stream, the project wasn’t created to win Worlds, but rather to produce content while allowing its players to remain involved in professional play. Even so, the team brought in an experienced coaching duo, Yamato and Shaves, to support the roster and maximize its potential during their short time in the league.
GIANTX, G2 Esports and Movistar KOI : N/A
GIANTX likely needed roster changes, particularly in a botlane that has collapsed repeatedly in crucial moments over the past three years. Building a project based on scrim results is rarely wise, especially considering the notoriously weak correlation between scrim performance and on-stage success.
As for G2 and MKOI, there was no incentive to alter anything. These two teams demonstrated the highest level of consistency throughout the year and showed the most notable long-term progression. If they decide to run back their lineups in 2026, it will be with the intention to push even higher—at international events particularly—and maintain the upward trajectory established throughout 2025.
Ethan is an esports fanatic — not a Fnatic fan, don’t get him wrong. He previously worked for a French media outlet called Eclypsia, as well as Sheep Esports, for whom he covered a variety of scenes: from FC 24, R6, and RL to CS:GO, VAL, and more. But the main reason Ethan started writing in esports was to have the opportunity to work fully on his one true love: League of Legends. And that’s precisely what he is doing at Hotspawn. Be warned, his articles can sometimes ooze a little too much of his lack of objectivity towards the French scene and players…
