Martin “Wunder” Hansen is making a return to competitive League of Legends for Fnatic in the 2023 LEC Season Finals.
The Danish top laner has been out of competitive play for some time now, so it’s a surprise for fans to see him back on the Rift for Fnatic, particularly in the playoffs.
But there’s good reason for Wunder’s reappearance. Fnatic has been dealt a bad bit of luck in the midst of the playoffs, and Wunder was their best response.
Why is Wunder playing for Fnatic?
Wunder is playing for Fnatic because the team’s starting top laner, Oscar “Oscarinin” Jimenez, has been brought down by an injury that will require surgery.
Fnatic announced that Oscarinin had been affected by a hand injury. The Spanish top laner continued playing despite the damage, with Fnatic saying that Oscarinin was able to play “unaffected” even with the injury in Fnatic’s 3-2 playoff win over Excel Esports.
But Oscarinin was playing on borrowed time with the injury, which will require surgery this week. His abrupt departure left Fnatic with few options available, and the team has decided to bring back Wunder for at least the near future.
Is Wunder returning to competitive League of Legends?
So far, Wunder is only confirmed to be playing in one playoff series versus Team BDS. It is possible that, should Fnatic defeat BDS and move on in the playoffs, Wunder could continue playing with Fnatic in the lower bracket final, and perhaps even in the grand final. None of that has yet been confirmed.
It’s also possible that Oscarinin could return from his injury in time to play the remaining LEC Season Finals series. That’s likely the preferred scenario for the team, as Wunder was originally sidelined due to his declining in-game performance.
Wunder that he “didn’t expect to play competitively this year” while speaking on the decision in a post on X. Those expectations have now turned around quickly.
The immediate concern is the match with Team BDS, which will determine not only which of the two teams remains alive in the LEC Season Finals, but also which team qualifies for either the League of Legends World Championship or at least the Worlds Qualifying Series in Seoul, South Korea, where one LEC team will battle one LCS team for the final spot in the event.
