Following a disappointing seventh place finish in APAC North and a fifth place finish in the Japan League, Fnatic have moved to bench Tsukasa "Merieux" Asano.
Replacing him will likely be Fnatic captain Etienne "Mag" Rousseau, who is the only remaining playing member from the Australian roster. Mag sat out Stage 1 while his Japan visa was processed, but is anticipated to join the team from Stage 2 onwards.
Merieux had been with this roster for nearly a year, having left retirement to join his teammates under GUTS Gaming in Jun. 2021. Prior to that, Merieux had been on Nora-Rengo for over three years until that team's dissolution.
With this roster, Merieux had nearly qualified for the Sweden Major, but had failed to do so after this team only managed a second place finish in Stage 3 of the 2021 season and then was unable to qualify through the Playoffs.
Including his time on Nora-Rengo, Merieux boasts an impressive resume with appearances at three Pro League Finals, one Six Major, and one Six Invitational.