Fnatic Oscarinin missed Worlds qualification match with hand injury
Michal Konkol/Riot GamesOscarinin revealed that he was playing Fnatic’s LEC Finals match against EXCEL with an injured hand, something he kept under wraps until they won the set. Despite Wunder having to sub in, Fnatic managed to qualify directly with a 3-2 win.
As far as rookie debuts go, Óscar ‘Oscarinin’ Jiménez’s LEC debut with Fnatic this year wasn’t exactly a stellar one. Martin ‘Wunder’ Hansen wasn’t working out for the team despite being one of Europe’s most decorated top laners, leaving him in the unenviable position of debuting with a team that was actively nosediving.
His first split didn’t go well, with Fnatic having a poor eighth-place finish. The team’s bot lane got completely switched out for Summer, with many questioning whether or not Oscarinin should have been part of roster changes.
Fast forward to the Season Finals and arguably the most important match of the year for Fnatic, which determines whether they can continue their season in Korea. Oscarinin managed to win the series with Fnatic despite having an injured hand. All without telling anyone outside of the team.
Oscarinin brings Fnatic a step closer to Worlds 2023 despite hand injury
Looking back on the VoD, it’s pretty clear that Oscarinin wasn’t well when he played in the day’s matches, even before the very first game of the day.
Fans could clearly see him cradling his right hand, holding it up at a certain angle to ensure he doesn’t injure it further. Later in the clip, you can also see him gingerly lowering his arm onto his mouse, appearing unable to move his wrist.
Despite this, Oscarinin played four different champions across these five matches, managing to get himself a Pentakill on Gwen even with one of his hands not working as it should. Getting Pentakills is typically challenging enough, but doing it with an injury is next-level.
He didn’t carry Fnatic in every match of the series, but his standout performance was the deciding factor in many of the tense teamfights in this five-game set. That, and he consistently put himself ahead of lane opponent Andrei ‘Odoamne’ Pascu, something he made sure to point out.
Oscar revealed his injury to the world with his hand fully wrapped following the match. He also had some choice words for Odoamne that translated to: “I just needed one hand to gap Odo.”
Oscarinin went on to talk a little about preparing for the day’s games knowing he was injured, and, though he hurt his hand at what he called the “worst possible time,” he still managed to have a great series.
“I’ve had the craziest, most stressful week of my life after f***ing up my hand at the worst possible time. I have done everything possible to be fit to play today and although I have not been 100% I am happy that I was able to play decently.”
On August 28, Fnatic announced that the Spanish top laner will undergo surgery on his injured hand early this week and will miss September 2’s match against Team BDS. Wunder will be filling in for Oscarinin in that match, which will determine the LEC’s third seed at Worlds 2023.
Oscarinin had some words of encouragement for his team ahead of the day’s games as he watches from the sidelines in-studio. Although he couldn’t keep himself from talking some trash as well.
“How sad it is to be in the studio and not be able to play, luckily my great team is going to win today I trust them a lot I hope they don’t make me suffer too much watching them.”
Wunder carries the torch as Fnatic qualify for Worlds
Despite Wunder being subbed in last-minute for Fnatic, the team managed a 3-2 win over Team BDS in a nail-biter of a 5-game series. He mostly played as a weaksider for Fnatic as Razork focused on getting the rest of the map ahead, a strategy that worked out well considering they managed a win.
It’s yet unclear when Oscarinin will be feeling well enough to play, but, for now, it’s safe to assume that Wunder will be playing for the team for the remainder of their Season Finals run.
In the post game interview, Wunder didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of him playing for Fnatic at Worlds 2023. It all depends on Oscarinin’s condition.
While Fnatic would have gone to Worlds in some capacity if they lost, their path to Worlds is vastly more secure now that they’ve beaten BDS. Team BDS can still qualify for Worlds by beating Golden Guardians in the Worlds Qualifying Series.