Worlds 2022 Play-ins: Fnatic finalizes their starting roster
A day before the Worlds 2022, Fnatic was able to finalize their starting roster with news that their bot lane tandem has tested negative for COVID-19.
In a sudden twist of events, Elias “Upset” Lipp and Zdravets Iliev “Hylissang” Galabov has tested negative for COVID-19. Just a few days ago, September 24, the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) team issued a statement regarding the condition of the two players. Their departure to Mexico halted after the duo tested positive for COVID-19.
As a backup, Riot Games permitted the team to have an emergency roster. Fnatic added Rúben “Rhuckz” Barbosa, their academy team player, was their seventh player. It was a move to prevent them from being disqualified from the competition.
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Just a day before the annual tournament, it was confirmed by the LEC team that Upset will board his flight to Mexico City, Mexico, after testing negative for the COVID-19 virus. Mexico City, Mexico, will be the venue of the Play-Ins for the Worlds 2022. In the statement released today, the team also confirmed that Rhuckz will be the substitute for the support role for the first day of the Fnatic’s games on Play-Ins.
On their first day, the team will be pitted against the North American Evil Geniuses and the Oceanic team Chiefs Esports Club. As their official Twitter account mentioned on the matter of the Worlds 2022, “Whilst Hylissang is also testing negative, he has only recently tested so, and as a result, is flying tomorrow morning.“
The post continued, “As such, he (Hylissang) will miss our games tomorrow evening. Rhuckz will substitute, with Hyli hopefully rejoining us for Friday’s Matchup vs. DFM (DetonatioN FocusMe).” The post also assured the fans of the team with the temporary update of their roster “We have absolute trust in Rhuckz’s ability to bring his best performance to the Worlds stage and represent us fully.”
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Back in Worlds 2021, the team was pushed to a similar dilemma when Upset was “forced to return home” due to “an urgent family matter”. This happened in Reykjavík, Iceland, the venue of the Play-Ins last year. During that time, Louis “Bean” Schmitz was the substitute for Upset. The sudden change in their roster did not sit well with the team’s overall performance last year. The team was eliminated with a disappointing 1-5 standing during the Group Stage.
Although in a tight spot, there is some light to this situation compared to what happened last year. This time, the substitute will only need to play once for the team. Once Hylissang’s flight lands in Mexico City, Mexico, the team’s original roster should be completed.
Below is Fnatic’s temporary team roster while Rúben “Rhuckz” Barbosa is substituting for Zdravets Iliev “Hylissang” Galabov:
| Player Name | Role |
| Martin “Wunder” Hansen | Top laner |
| Iván “Razork” Díaz | Jungler |
| Marek “Humanoid” Brázda | Mid laner |
| Elias “Upset” Lipp | Bot laner |
| Rúben “Rhuckz” Barbosa | Support |
If all fairs well for the team, Hylissang should be put back to replace Rhuckz once the team takes on day two on September 30. The team will be against the Japanese team, DetonatioN FocusMe.
Play-ins Day 1 will kick off on September 29 at 1 p.m. PST.
Here is the most updated schedule:
- Play-Ins: September 29-October 4 – Arena Esports Stadium at Artz Pedregal in Mexico City, Mexico;
- Groups: October 7-10 and October 13-16 – Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City;
- Quarterfinals: October 20-23 – Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City;
- Semifinals: October 29-30 – State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia;
- Finals: November 5 – Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
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Where to watch League of Legends: Worlds 2022
Riot Games understands that there will be an increase in the viewership of their event. As such, multiple platforms were put to ensure that fans could enjoy the show without causing congestion to their servers. If you also have a Riot account, we suggest using the official LoL eSports website after logging in to your account so you can earn free drops during the stream.
Here is the official LoLesports website where you can watch the live stream:
You can also catch the live stream on the official Riot Games Twitch account.
League of Legends is available now on PC.
