The 22-year-old Elias “Upset” Lipp plays League of Legends for Fnatic, one of the most popular teams in Europe. They have qualified for the Play-Ins at the World Championships in LoL, the Worlds 2022. But an interview with Upset is now causing a bad feeling among fans. Apparently, Fnatic is currently aimless and is not holding any of the usual sparring matches before the start of the Worlds. These would be so important.
This is the situation for Upset:
- The 22-year-old Upset has made a name for himself in LoL over the years, breaking through in November 2020: The German switched to Fnatic and took on the role of the legendary ADC Rekkles.
- Upset filled these huge shoes perfectly, achieved a performance increase and became one of the best players in Europe in 2021. However, he could not play in the Worlds 2021 for personal reasons, and his team was eliminated early – it was a huge disappointment. The team fell apart over the conflicts regarding the forced break of their ADC.
- In 2022, Fnatic with a new lineup managed to finish 3rd in the playoffs. Now they must play to qualify for the Worlds 2022 in Mexico. But again, there seem to be significant issues within the team.
Fnatic takes a break after “long season” – Upset seems lost himself
What did Upset say in the interview? Upset gave an interview to the LoL analyst and Twitch streamer Nick “LS” de Cesare.
It turned out that Fnatic is currently not playing any scrimmages, meaning they are not properly training. This is actually unbelievable because “scrimmages” are practice matches under real conditions against other professional teams. This is considered the best preparation for any tournament, especially since the Worlds will be played with a new patch, which every pro must adapt to:
The situation with scrims is a bit weird, there are only MAD, Rogue, and G2 and we aren’t scrimming at all right now. We’ll only have a few days of scrims before the real matches begin.
Upset
Both Upset and LS laugh at the situation: because this is actually a completely absurd statement. Upset admits he is also unsure about what is currently happening at Fnatic:
LS then asks what’s going on. He inquires: “Why does this sound like it’s a catastrophe?” Upset admits (via twitch):
We had a long season, we are currently taking a break… I guess. I’m not sure. It’s also difficult with the patch that just came out.
Upset
Expert laughs hysterically and asks in disbelief
As seen in the clips, the statements are driving the expert “LS” completely crazy. He only laughs hysterically and shakes his head. LS is considered a capable analyst and has even successfully trained a team:
“You guys want to land, do a day of scrims and then start playing – you are completely crazy.”
Nick “LS” De Cesare
Fnatic cancels important training matches before the start of the Worlds
What is going on? It’s not quite clear. The top laner Odoamne from Rogue tweeted: Fnatic has actually canceled scrims:
Another LoL insider, Caedrel, suggests he has learned the reasons why Fnatic is currently not playing practice games. The reasons are “embarrassing.” However, it’s not due to players or coaches. Caedrel says: “It’s a very strange situation – but they can’t scrim,” although the team wants to.
On reddit people are also making fun of Fnatic that they are apparently taking a break right before the Worlds. Such jokes were previously known only to G2.
They are now joking that perhaps Wonder, who switched from G2, has to prepare for the release of Wrath of the Lich King in WoW Classic. Wonder is known for his love of World of Warcraft.
The Play-Ins for the LoL Worlds 2022 start on September 29.
Upset and supporter Hylissang both have Covid
Update: As the Fnatic team communicates (via twitter), Upset and supporter Hylissang have both tested positive for Covid-19. They are now searching for a solution together with Riot Games to ensure that the team arrives safely for the first match.
Whether this is the reason why Fnatic did not play scrimmages is unknown.
The last Worlds went terribly for Upset:
Wife of a German LoL pro says she receives death threats – can no longer work
However, it is agreed that these are not good signs for the Worlds. And if things go badly for Fnatic, players and coaches will have to prepare for a lot of criticism.
What’s behind this: The interview seems so weird because Upset apparently does not agree with this break at all – but also cannot reveal the reasons why they are not completing scrimmages.
An exit in the Play-Ins would be a disgrace for the organization.
- However, Fnatic has caught an extremely easy group: In their group 1, there are only the Americans from Evil Geniuses as a team from a major region.
- Group 2, in which MAD Lions must play, has both teams from the major leagues in Asia DRX and Royal Never Give Up.
The Play-Ins for the LoL Worlds 2022 start on September 29.
Upset and supporter Hylissang both have Covid
Update: As the Fnatic team communicates (via twitter), Upset and supporter Hylissang have both tested positive for Covid-19. They are now searching for a solution together with Riot Games to ensure that the team arrives safely for the first match.
Whether this is the reason why Fnatic did not play scrimmages is unknown.
The last Worlds went terribly for Upset:
Wife of a German LoL pro says she receives death threats – can no longer work
