25-year-old Elias “Upset” Lipp was the focal point of Fnatic, the popular e-sport team in Europe for LoL, for two years. During that time, the ADC was considered the best German player in League of Legends. However, the roster fell apart after the LoL Worlds 2021, and German Upset was replaced by Swedish superstar Rekkles. This led to two tough years for Upset and the Fnatic team. But that has now come to an end.
This is how Upset’s career went: Even at 15, Upset was a successful player in LoL and switched to Schalke. In hindsight, he would have preferred to skip that and join the perennial champion G2, as he says today in an interview with Tolkin (via YouTube), but back then he didn’t know better.
After stints with Origen and Astralis, he landed at Fnatic in November 2020 as a “great German talent.” They had just lost their star player Rekkles to G2 and needed a replacement. At Fnatic, Upset finally matured into an elite player and made Fnatic “his team.”
He dominated 2021 and 2022, topping individual rankings for stretches, collecting so many kills while dying very rarely himself. During that time, he was considered the best German player in LoL.
After Upset had to leave the Worlds, things went wrong
This was the turning point: But in 2021, there was a crash in the team: Upset had to leave the Worlds in Iceland for personal reasons. To this day, it remains unclear what exactly happened; only “family reasons” are mentioned.
This was a huge disappointment for Fnatic at the time, as the players had worked the whole year to earn a place at the Worlds. But they could not make use of that place. Without their focal player, Fnatic was eliminated without a chance.
After those Worlds, there was ongoing turmoil at Fnatic. A young teammate accused Upset of leaving the Worlds simply because his partner missed him. Upset defended himself against such accusations. But by then, the rumor was already out: Upset’s wife even received death threats.
The team’s morale took a dive, as Upset says today.
Two really tough years begin for Fnatic and Upset
This is how it went for Fnatic without Upset: Ultimately, Fnatic disbanded the roster in 2022 and replaced Upset with the “big name,” Rekkles, who returned to the team after not doing well at G2.
But Rekkles was no longer the franchise player he once was. He later even switched to support. At Fnatic, he could never really establish himself.
There followed two years in which Fnatic constantly rotated the roster but found no real success anymore.
After Upset, 8 more players left Fnatic within 2 years, particularly the support player changed constantly. On the bot lane, the Korean Noah played after Rekkles’ quick departure.
This is how it went for Upset: Upset also struggled without Fnatic in 2023 and 2024. First, he joined Perkz in his “super-team” Vitality. However, that turned out to be super unsuccessful. Perkz mentioned after the season that it didn’t feel real but more like a nightmare.
After that, Upset transferred to Karmine Corp. – and nothing worked there either. He ended the Spring Split 2024 in last place 10.
At Karmine Corp., however, there was no longer any place for the German in 2025: Now the wonder kid Caliste plays there as ADC.
In a rather silly video, Fnatic shows how jungler Razork time travels to bring the former Fnatic players Mikyx and Upset back to Fnatic:
Upset is ready to take on responsibility and spread good vibes at 25
This is how Upset is doing now: Upset returned to Fnatic in 2025 and forms a strong bot lane here with Mikyx, perhaps the best-known support in Europe.
In an interview with Tolkin, Upset says he feels like “the prodigal son” who has returned to Fnatic. The last time the team had many issues and tensions. But he has now resolved to be sensible at 25, emit only positive vibes, and make the calls.
In the past, at 15, he says he was terribly toxic. Tolkin adds: Upset constantly pressured people to play a lot of SoloQ. Only when everyone was a Challenger was Upset satisfied.
The 25-year-old smiles: Even today, it is still important to him that everyone plays a lot. But Upset seems to have found ways to communicate his goals without being as toxic as before. Especially with Mikyx as a partner, whom he praises repeatedly, he seems to feel comfortable now.
Upset is once again a statistics monster
This is how it is going for Upset at Fnatic: Apparently, Upset has ended both his own weak phase and that of Fnatic in the two weeks he has been playing at Fnatic: The newly formed Fnatic recently wiped out G2 – Upset played 4-1-9 on Ezrael.
With 5-1, Fnatic, Karmine Corp., and Movistar KOI are currently in 1st place in the LEC.
In the KDA, Upset currently stands at 11.2 after 6 games, placing 2nd in the LEC, only the new wonder kid Calisté is doing even better with 14.2. Calisté and Upset seem to meet the high expectations placed on them at the start of the new season: An 18-year-old is performing so well in LoL that the European champion is allegedly offering half the team and a lot of money for him
