Fnatic’s Upset Forced to Leave 2021 Worlds Due to Urgent Family Matter
Elias “Upset” Lipp, one of the best marksmen in all of Europe, has been forced to leave 2021 Worlds due to an urgent family matter. What a depressing bit of news, one that seemingly came out of nowhere. By the time you’re reading these lines, Fnatic will have already played their first Group Stage match against Hanwha Life Esports with their Academy marksman Louis “Bean” Schmitz stepping in on short notice. It goes without saying, but there’s quite a large gap in terms of skill and overall potential between their stand-in (talented though he is) and a veteran ADC like Upset who has been competing at the highest of levels ever since he had stepped foot on the LEC stage back in 2018.
A Tough Situation, to Put It Mildly
With his sudden departure, Fnatic’s chances of leaving a mark and getting out of groups have immediately plummeted. Heck, we’re putting it mildly here. Upset was by no means the most important piece of the puzzle, but he wasn’t far off either. His synergy with Zdravets ”Hylissang” Iliev Galabov has given Fnatic an edge no matter whom they were up against; without such a mechanically gifted bottom lane duo, they’ll struggle a whole lot more than expected.
Worlds 2021 Roster Update pic.twitter.com/UojSgt1iBe
— FNATIC (@FNATIC) October 10, 2021
Now, on the one hand, they had a bit of “luck” by getting slotted into Group C so there’s no reason to get all doom and gloom just yet. On the other, a roster change as big as this one simply has to affect the team in a myriad of ways, none of which are positive.
Without Upset at 2021 Worlds, Fnatic will have to fight tooth and nail to advance further and, frankly, they should probably no longer be considered a shoo-in for Top 2 in their group. It’s not just the loss of a single player but rather the effect such a change has on the team as a whole. To compete on even footing with the likes of PSG Talon, Royal Never Give Up, and Hanwha Life Esports, they’ll need all the tools and weapons they can get, and without Upset under their banner — a player known for his immaculate positioning and teamfighting prowess — they won’t stand nearly as good of a chance as would have been the case otherwise.
We’re gutted that Upset had to leave 2021 Worlds after it took him so long to reach the biggest of stages. He’s earned his shot fair and square and has put in an obscene amount of work over the years to get there, only to have the rug pulled from under his feet.
Disheartening, to say the least.
The Esports Talk team hopes that the urgent family matter he’s currently facing isn’t too serious, and that he’ll be able to re-join his team in Reykjavik, Iceland sooner rather than later.
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