Madrid is on fire for this
final LEC weekend, with three best-of-fives set to decide who will represent Europe at Worlds alongside G2 Esports and Movistar KOI between
Fnatic and Karmine Corp, as well as to determine the Summer Split champion. As the Black and Orange approach their most decisive series of the year—and perhaps the most important match in KC’s history—German AD carry Elias "
Upset" Lipp sat down with us to discuss the end of the split in Madrid, his year with Fnatic, the upcoming showdown against his former team and the offseason movements.
We’ve seen a few players open up about their mental health, but not many are really talking about it yet. How are you doing?
Elias "Upset" Lipp: "I'm doing alright, I guess. It's always pretty fun to go to an event like this. It usually helps the team get a bit closer, gives us more time to just joke around, and be away from the PC. So overall, I'd say I'm doing fine.
It’s been eight consecutive years that Fnatic hasn’t missed Worlds. Do you feel the weight of that history?
Upset: We're really focused on our next opponent. Thinking about long-term results can be helpful for motivation when preparing for a match, but I think the team is already quite motivated. Right now, we're just doing our best to get ready. Of course, I’d love to continue
that legacy. I helped the team qualify a couple of times before, so doing it one more time would be really nice, especially here in Spain.
Do you think you’ve solved the issues the team was facing since Yoon "Poby" Sung-won joined?
Upset: No team can ever fully solve all the issues. With different patches, the game is always changing, and there are new things you need to adapt to. But we’ve been improving at playing with our solo lanes and making our game plan more coherent. So I’d say we’re definitely doing better, and everyone knows what’s going on.
What do you think wasn’t working with Marek "Humanoid" Brázda?
Upset: It's mostly about team atmosphere and the willingness to improve together. I really like Marek, both as a person and as a player. He's really good. I just think he needed a break, and that’s not very helpful when you’re in a team that wants to get better. If a player doesn’t feel motivated anymore, which is understandable, it can be tough. From the outside, it might look like a dream job, but it’s very challenging. It’s a very single-minded lifestyle—you’re kind of just living the game, with not much free time—so it can be draining if you do it for many years. That was the main thing that wasn’t working.
How does it feel to play the most important match of your year — and maybe of Karmine Corp's history — against your former team?
Upset: It feels a bit bittersweet because I honestly would have liked for both of us to go to Worlds. I really liked my old teammates—Canna (Kim Chang-dong), Vladi (Vladimiros Kourtidis), Targamas (Raphaël Crabbé)—and I also have good relations with the coaching staff, so it’s a bit sad that one of us isn’t going.
So how would it feel to eliminate Karmine Corp tomorrow?
Upset: It would feel great to qualify, but I wouldn’t be happy seeing them miss out, because I know they’ve worked really hard this year. I’d also like them to have the chance to show themselves at Worlds.
In your preparation, do you take into account the possibility of Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer subbing in to replace Vladi?
Upset: It’s a very small consideration, but it doesn’t seem like they’re actually willing to put him in the game, judging by the fact that they didn’t do it once in the playoffs. So no, we don’t really think about it that much.
Have you been watching the LCK and LPL playoffs? Is there a botlane that has impressed you and that you’d like to face at Worlds?
Upset: I’ve been watching basically all the matches. I really enjoy watching Viper (Park Do-hyeon). He’s my favorite ADC to watch. Other than that, of course the usual suspects, like Ruler (Park Jae-hyuk), who’s really great. I also like Bilibili Gaming’s botlane style, they play very aggressively, dive a lot, and play Caitlyn and Elise. There are so many fun botlanes out there.
Talking about botlane playstyles, tomorrow you’re facing Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert and Targamas. What do you think of this matchup?
Upset: I feel pretty confident with Mikyx (Mihael Mehle) going up against anyone. We’re a pretty strong botlane, and we just need to stick to what we know and what we’re good at. It should be a fun matchup to watch.
You’ve played with a lot of supports in your career. Who has been your best lane partner so far?
Upset: I’ve had many great supports, but I think Mikyx and Hylissang (Zdravets Iliev Galabov) are the ones I’ve worked with the best. I reached another level with both of them. It just feels intuitive to play with an aggressive support, understanding what they want to do, especially after having played against them for so long. So these two are definitely my favorites.
Are you thinking about winning your first LEC split?
Upset: It’s definitely a goal I have for myself. It would be really meaningful to do it here in Madrid, especially considering the last time Fnatic won while I was playing
in the final back in 2018 for Schalke 04. I’m always thinking about it, but like I said, the main focus has to be on the present, on the next opponent. Still, it would be great.
Does playing in front of a full arena change the way you approach a game compared to the LEC studio in Berlin?
Upset: People just have more energy because of the atmosphere in the arena, and it feels like everyone is more in the zone. I think that’s the biggest difference.
Upset: It’s definitely a big possibility. I felt really welcomed back in Fnatic, and I’ve been enjoying my time in the organization. Even if we didn’t achieve all the results we wanted, we’ve still been a top team in Europe this whole year, and I even managed to get an MVP. I’ve been feeling pretty at home here. So obviously, I can’t confirm anything yet, but I would be happy to keep playing for Fnatic.
At the start of the year, could you have imagined being in the current situation — just one BO away from missing Worlds, even though you were the best team in the regular season and expected to be comfortably in the top 3?
Upset: It depends on the point in time, but after seeing the Spring Split playoffs, I knew there were four really strong teams in Europe. So one of these four would have to miss out. It wasn’t that I thought it would be us, but when the field is that competitive, the possibility of not making it is always there. One of the four might miss it, so I think every team had that in the back of their mind a little bit.
I don’t really take the regular season as an indicator of how strong we’ll be at the end of the year. It’s a small reference point, but obviously the playoffs are what really matter. We haven’t been beating the top teams consistently, so that’s more important than how consistent we are in the regular season against the rest of the league."
Header Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
