After an opening loss to Movistar KOI, Fnatic went on an incredible 8-game winning streak, securing the top spot in the LEC Winter group stage.
On February 4, Fnatic defeated SK Gaming in the final match of Week 3 of LEC Winter at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany. With an 8-1 record, they surpassed Karmine Corp (6-3) to advance to the Playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
This marks the first time Fnatic has topped the group stage since LEC Spring last year, where they also finished 6-3. To prepare for the 2024 season, Fnatic parted ways with bot lane duo "Noah" Oh Hyeon-taek and "Jun" Yoon Se-jun, replacing them with "Upset" Elias Lipp and "Mikyx" Mihael Mehle (a former G2 Esports player). These roster changes have strengthened Fnatic, allowing them to dominate the group stage.
Karmine Corp, featuring "Canna" Kim Chang-dong, had a 4-game win streak but later suffered losses to Fnatic and Team BDS, settling for second place. G2 Esports, despite a disappointing start to the season, made a strong comeback with a 4-game win streak to finish in third place (6-3).
The other teams that secured Playoff spots are:
- Movistar KOI (6-3)
- Team Vitality (5-4)
- GiantsX (5-4)
- Team BDS (4-5)
- Team Heretics (3-6)
Meanwhile, SK Gaming and Rogue, with only one win in nine matches, have been officially eliminated.
The LEC Winter Playoffs will begin on February 15, featuring the following matchups:
- Fnatic vs. Team Heretics
- G2 Esports vs. GiantsX
- Movistar KOI vs. Team BDS
- Karmine Corp vs. Team Vitality
The winners of these matches will qualify for First Stand—the first international tournament of the season, scheduled to take place in South Korea in March.