Why Adam could retire tonight

The career of Adam “Adam” Maanane could come to a premature end this Wednesday evening. The former LEC toplaner, who failed to secure a spot in a major league for the 2026 season, is competing this winter with one of the two influencer-led teams at the LFL Invitational, French Flair. This Wednesday, FF—the team captained by Jean “TraYtoN” Medzadourian—will face the league’s other influencer roster, ZYB Esports, led by Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer, in their second group-stage match.

The matchup between the two teams is highly anticipated, and players from both sides—frequently gathered in voice chat—have heavily exaggerated their confidence in the build-up to the game to fuel the hype. All eyes will be on the toplane. On Tuesday, the day before the match (9 p.m. CET this Wednesday), both protagonists let their egos do the talking. “I know I’m going to beat him. I throw him off, I put him back in his place,” said Alexandre “Hiro” El Hodebey, ZYB’s toplaner, during a stream.

The former BDS Academy player is nonetheless far from matching his opponent’s pedigree. Until last week, he had played as many matches in the French championship as FF’s AD Carry, Thomas “3XA” Foucou, has won LFL titles: four.

A heavy favorite on paper, Adam has not held back either. “He’s going to get last pick, ask for five bans plus the counterpick, I’ll blind pick and I’ll destroy him,” he said during a conversation involving members of both teams. “He’s a Div2 toplaner. I’m going to burn him from the first wave. I play at Worlds and they put me up against a Div2 toplaner…” Exuding confidence—going so far as to label Kim “Canna” Chang-dong as “boring” and “AFK farming”—Adam made a clear statement: “I’m not going to lose. If I lose tomorrow, I retire.”

Nisqy, playing midlane for his team, leaned fully into the banter. “Adam thinks he has a level he doesn’t actually have. He’s not a top LEC toplaner.” The Belgian player also made bold promises regarding his own direct matchup against Lucas “Saken” Fayard, one of the most emblematic players in LFL history. “In a pure 1v1, I think I’ll be up 10 CS at four or five minutes, in any matchup,” he claimed. Aside from midlane, the most evenly matched duel on paper is likely the AD Carry matchup between two former LEC figures, 3XA and Jean “Jezu” Massol. “ZYB is a pebble in my shoe,” nonetheless stated 3XA.

On Wednesday morning, just hours before the match, ZYB’s jungler Stéphane “Manaty” Dimier released his customary pre–big match video, calling out several of his opponents. “Adam, I don’t like guys like you. You spam-ping junglers way too fast in SoloQ. Tonight you’re going to spam-ping NattyNatt (Isak Elgh),” he said. The French jungler also had a pointed message for his direct opponent. While acknowledging that the Rengar main is a strong SoloQ player, “in competitive play, I can name at least 20 LFL junglers who are better than you,” Manaty asserted. “I’m going to show you that even with four former LEC players, I can still gap you.”

Beyond the words and the banter, logic would suggest an FF victory. While the jungle, midlane, and AD Carry matchups do not appear overwhelmingly one-sided, FF holds a clear advantage in the toplane and support positions. Adam has competed at the highest level and likely still has the credentials to do so, while Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé remains a player capable of performing on the international stage. Opposite them, Arnaud “Riippp” Mesmin has never played a competitive split. ZYB’s main adversary may in fact be its own support, who came close to costing his team the match against Galions Sharks last week...

Beyond claiming a crucial victory to save face on the French stage, the winner of this matchup will secure qualification for the LFL Invitational Super Group. The losing side, meanwhile, will have to face the winner of the Lausanne-Sport Esports vs. Galions Sharks match next week to stay alive in the competition. A second defeat would result in elimination from the tournament.