<
>

Fnatic loses Spirit

South Korean jungler Lee "Spirit" Da-yun played for Fnatic during 2016 before heading back to South Korea. Provided by Riot

Fnatic's League of Legends team has mutually parted ways with South Korean jungler Lee "Spirit" Da-yun, the team announced Wednesday.

In the announcement, the team noted that it had endured a difficult season and is "looking to significantly rebuild [its] team and the structure of Fnatic." This began late in the summer split, when the team moved on from head coach Luis "Deilor" Sevilla.

The team's League of Legends manager, Finlay "Quaye" Stewart, noted that Spirit's "dedication and attitude" would be missed, while the news release also praised his mechanical ability and diverse champion pool.

The organization has seen plenty of change dating back to the start of the 2016 EU League of Legends Championship Series season. Back then, Fnatic was tasked with replacing Seong "Huni" Hoon-heo, Kim "Reignover" Ui-jin and Bora "YellowStaR" Kim -- a trio that helped the team finish with a perfect record in the 2015 summer split and eventually make it past the group stages at the World Championship.

However, the team was not able to recreate its prior success. It finished the spring split in 2016 with a record of 9-9, a second-round exit from the playoffs, and followed that up with a fifth-place finish in the summer with a 7-6-6 match record and a loss in the first round of the playoffs.