Fnatic had a solid performance in the 2022 LEC Spring Split’s best-of-1 stage. The European powerhouse finished the regular split in second place and looked stronger with each passing week. Heading into the playoffs, it’s safe to say they’re one of the favorites to take it all and lift the trophy again, four years after Fnatic last reigned supreme.

Fnatic’s dominance throughout the split has come in large part from the bot lane. Whereas the three new Fnatic players on the top side needed time to adjust and find their spot in the lineup, the duo of Elias “Upset” Lipp and Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov hit the ground running from day one and dominated the opposition. They know exactly what to expect from one another and navigate the game as if they’re one mind in two bodies. Not surprising, perhaps, since Hylissang has said that they’re inseparable and speak with each other every day about League of Legends.

While the spotlight this Spring Split has often been on Hylissang and his outstanding playmaking, Upset managed to break two LEC records in the eight weeks of regular split competition. The German has died the fewest times of any player in European history ever since the format shifted to an eight-week regular split. In total, Upset has died only 11 times across 18 games. Of those 18 games, he went deathless in 11. 

With that, he broke the record set by former Fnatic bot laner Martin “Rekkles” Larsson in the 2018 EU LCS Spring Split, who died 13 times in 18 games.

That’s not the only record Upset broke in the Spring Split, though. He now also holds the record for best overall KDA (kills plus assists, divided by deaths) in the region. With 80 kills, 102 assists, and just 11 deaths, Upset’s Spring Split KDA stands at an overall score of 16.55. He trumped another Fnatic player with that, as Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim previously held that record from his 2015 EU LCS Summer Split with a KDA of 16.33.

Getting the fewest deaths and having the best KDA can be looked at with skepticism. After all, if someone runs away from any potential danger, they’ll quickly secure a record for the fewest deaths, but they’re also a bad player. On the highest tier, League of Legends is all about perfectly understanding your matchups, calculating your odds, and playing your hand accordingly. 

While Upset did need some warming up this year, he quickly figured out exactly what he had to do and flaunted his skill. With immaculate laning, he freed Hylissang up to push back the enemy bot lane. 

A perfect example of this can be found in week 5 of the LEC Spring Split, when Fnatic played against Team Vitality. Hylissang harassed Vitality as much as he could with his Pyke, threatening to hook them as soon as the ability came off cooldown. But Upset’s positioning was pivotal to this strategy: he stepped forward precisely when he had the opportunities to do so. Consistently, he backed Hylissang up in his plays. Vitality's bot lane was completely choked out of resources.

It is laning phases such as these that kept giving Upset leads time and time again. With the meta heavily focussing on Aphelios and Jinx, who need a lot of resources to pop off later in the game, Upset converted these early leads into obliterating damage. 

When Fnatic hunted for a kill against SK Gaming, they got ambushed. Fnatic stalled the fight until Upset arrived, who then started to apply heavy pressure on SK, forcing them to retreat. Fnatic turned the fight around and even in the aftermath of it Upset stayed alert: he aggressively zoned away SK’s remaining players and made sure that his team would grab every possible advantage in the situation.

Of course, multi-kills are like candy to the esports audiences. Upset raked up seven double kills in the Spring Split and one triple kill. That triple kill — a game-ender versus Team BDS — was a team effort from Fnatic, but it’s worth paying attention to Upset’s movement in the play. Contrary to what some good KDA stats might hide behind the numbers, Upset doesn’t play scared at all. He toes the line perfectly with his Caitlyn and aggressively hunts down his enemies.

With two records under his belt, Upset’s focus is on the next challenge: winning his first LEC trophy. The LEC Spring Split playoffs kick off on March 25. Fnatic has one more day of freedom before their next challenge; they take on G2 Esports on Saturday, March 26, at 5 PM CET. 

The last time the two rival teams met, in the 2021 Summer Split playoffs, Upset and Hylissang emerged victorious and advanced to the semifinals. But both teams have been rebuilt. Furthermore, the bot lane meta is bound to be different, with Aphelios, Jinx, and Zeri all nerfed. It’s time to see if Upset’s brilliance in the regular split can be transferred to the final stages. He sure as hell has set a high bar for himself.