Caps, the Rise of the European King

For years, League of Legends esports existed through a very well-defined prism. Though small upsets would happen occasionally, the reality was that, no matter how much futile struggle was put in, Korean teams would always come to reclaim their rightful throne at the end of the story.

And then, suddenly, everything changed. The giants began to stumble, and a hope was born. Amid the most barren of battlefields, ruled until then with an iron fist, newly formed dreams were given room to burgeon and sprout, all in the form of a midlaner who, for years, helped shape a resistance against the ruling class.

His name was Rasmus Winther. But the world would come to know him simply as .

Playing his first tournament at just 15 years old, Caps had a fulgurant rise through esports. Though not part of the original generation of European pros, Caps has by now spent around 70% of the LEC's existence on its stage. Part of the second generation, Caps first evolved through the archaic second tier of competition in Europe, before its regional leagues were properly inaugurated. Perhaps the first tenure people really remember him for was his short stint with Nerv, whom he joined midway through the split, only to finish in an abysmal last place.

Only 16 at the time, Caps was rather infamous for his solo queue behavior, much like many kids his age. That same year, he went on to win the TCL with Dark Passage, though he did not accompany the team to Brazil for the 2016 Worlds qualifier due to being too young to compete. Nevertheless, even if his time had not yet come, he would soon be noticed. At just 17, a year later, it was time for him to make his debut in the EU LCS with .

Doubted at first due to his behavior, many wondered if he would be able to step up to the challenge and truly fit the position of midlaner for what was one of the most decorated European teams at the time. First, there had been World Champion Maciej "Shushei" Ratuszniak; then the legendary Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño Martínez's four-year tenure; and finally, the beloved . The young Danish player had much to prove, and so little experience at the time to back up his words.

But none of this mattered. Despite a difficult start, Fnatic slowly improved, rising through Europe as Caps helped the organization put behind its troublesome past year. Qualifying as Europe's third representative at Worlds 2017, Caps was finally allowed to live the dream he had been denied a year prior. In China, though not gloriously, Caps and his team scrapped their way through the group stage after winning two back-to-back tiebreakers, and against all odds, qualified for the quarterfinals in the 17-year-old's first appearance at the event.

Though all of Europe's hopes were once more dashed in the quarterfinals, with two Korean teams eventually disputing the finals that year, something new had begun to emerge.

Something felt… different. Despite having had virtually no challenge for years, Korean teams, on paper, looked… beatable? Surely this would simply be another delusion, quickly swept away like many before. There would only be one way to find out.

With a newly revamped roster, Fnatic swept the EU LCS for the first time in nearly three years, once more reclaiming its throne. Then came the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational. While it was not yet the team's time to shine at its brightest, the addition of as support and as a sixth man rotating toplane saw a certain magic begin to rear its head. Despite losing in the semifinals, Fnatic managed to take a game from the South Korean representatives in the group stage, which ultimately saw China rise to the top of the world, upsetting the Korean dynasty.

Back in Europe, the team did not back down. Putting the pedal to the metal, Caps conquered his home once more, and finally came his second Worlds run. He had already made the quarterfinals once. It was time to bring things to the next level.

First came the group stage, where Fnatic nearly ran the table, finishing first after defeating twice. Then came the quarterfinals… and suddenly, the impossible began to unfold. Fnatic dispatched 3-1. North America's swept Afreeca Freecs. Invictus Gaming took down Korean champions , despite having just lost twice to Fnatic. And somehow, had upset MSI champions Royal Never Give Up in a five-game thriller.

Three Western teams now stood in the semifinals, with only iG left representing China. And for the first time since 2012, South Korea was no longer in contention for the World Championship title. With full steam ahead, Fnatic then defeated Cloud9 in a 3-0 sweep, finding themselves up against Invictus Gaming in the final, ready for a rematch of Group D, all the while playing on Korean soil in Incheon. But at this point, everyone knows what would happen next.

In a heartbreaking scenario, all the hopes and dreams of European fans were swept away as quickly as they had surged. China established itself as the new leader of international League of Legends esports, following up on its recent MSI title. Europe was sent back to the drawing board, with disappointment, anger, but also determination boiling beneath the surface.

A player once doubted, Caps quickly became mourned by Fnatic, as he moved to rival organization G2 Esports in 2019. Overshadowed by Fnatic's grand final appearance, the Samurai had nonetheless put together a commendable performance, and it was time for major changes in hopes of breaking through Europe's glass ceiling. With role-swapping to the botlane, the team on paper looked like the strongest roster ever produced in Europe, and that pedigree would soon prove to bear fruit.

Total obliteration of the Spring Split would quickly lead the reformed team to an MSI 2019 appearance, and expectations were high following the previous year's Western Worlds runs. G2 started off strong, instantly taking a game off , one of Korea's most emblematic teams. Still, the rest of the group stage would be rather shaky, leaving the Europeans at 5-5.

None were truly prepared for what would come next. Against all odds, North American representatives took down the nearly undefeated Invictus Gaming to qualify for the final, and a day later, it was G2's turn. In a nail-biting five-game series, G2 overpowered SKT once more and readied themselves to face TL. There, they proved simply better, utterly dominating the North American squad in the quickest international series at the time and earning Europe's first-ever MSI title. It was the first major dent made in the international order since Fnatic's Season 1 World Championship victory, before China and Korea had even entered the game.

The mood was ecstatic. No one had ever achieved this before them. Sure, there had been international finals, like CLG at MSI 2016 and G2 themselves at MSI 2017, but a title? It was unheard of.

With this energy, and with a trophy in hand, G2 returned to Europe, determined to enact their Golden Road as they once more utterly destroyed their region, earning back-to-back titles with Caps leading the charge.

With Worlds in Europe that year and momentum on their side, it was now or never for Caps to finally hoist himself into the hall of legends. Once again, the squad started strong, going toe-to-toe with Korean second seed Griffin and narrowly ending second in their group, but nevertheless showing that they still had the same firepower. Then came another—G2 took down 3-1—and another. G2 proved that their MSI victory over SKT was no fluke, beating them once more, 3-1 this time.

And there it was: the Summoner's Cup, standing before Caps and G2 in Paris, on home soil. He who had ignited Europe's hope now stood against China's FPX, and there was only one thing left to do.

The rest was as tragic as it remains legendary. Despite an insane run, Caps once more fell. 0-3 against the LPL. Another humiliating defeat, so close to accomplishing his dream, yet so far. He watched from the sidelines, left to wonder what could have been.

Deciding to hold onto its roster, G2 ran it back in 2020. Unfortunately, with the coronavirus pandemic unfolding, a big what-if would hang over the season. G2 first came barreling through the Spring Split, but the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational was ultimately cancelled due to the global lockdowns, leaving the kings unable to defend their crown. The Summer Split would be slightly shakier, though G2 would eventually emerge on top once more.

Even though G2 appeared poised to once again put themselves at the top of the world, the squad simply could not reproduce the same magic at Worlds 2020. Once again, the team ended the group stage in second place, before delivering a commanding 3-0 against . But then, the dream was snuffed out. DAMWON, with their 2019 loss still on their minds, gave G2 no mercy, eliminating Caps in the semifinals and denying his dream once more.

The years that followed were no longer about how close Caps was to the summit. They were about how far away it had become.

2021 marked the first year of Caps' career in which he failed to make Worlds. In 2022, he returned to the tournament, but G2 fell short of the knockout stage. 2023 brought more disappointment, with the team once again unable to make a deep international run. The player who had once stood one series away from becoming a world champion was now struggling simply to reach the latter stages of the competition.

And then, in 2024, something flickered. At MSI, G2 dismantled Top Esports 3-0, securing a fourth-place finish and reminding the world that, buried beneath years of disappointment, the old fire was still there. It was nowhere near the heights of 2019, but for the first time in years, there was something to hold onto.

Giving up, however, would have been too easy. Amid major rebuilding in 2025, Caps and his team finally broke the drought, making it back to the Worlds quarterfinals for the first time in four years. And perhaps more importantly, Caps himself was changing. No longer quite the explosive, unpredictable midlaner who had terrorized the world in 2018 and 2019, he had shifted towards a more map-oriented style, focused on enabling his team and creating opportunities for those around him.

This year, however, Caps proved that the world still had reason to fear him.

At First Stand 2026, he reached the final while taking down two LCK representatives in the process, going 6-0 against them in Brazil. Then, at MSI, he helped eliminate T1 with a 3-1 victory. The results were not yet enough to recreate the glory of 2019, but something had changed.

With Worlds 2026 ahead of him, who knows what the newly inducted Hall of Legends member still has in store for Europe—and the world? Perhaps, with a bit of luck, another European success story could once more rear its head. Perhaps the dream that once seemed dead was merely waiting for another chance.

And perhaps, after all these years, Europe might finally believe again.