Fnatic acquires mid laner Nemesis from MAD Lions
As another chapter ends, another one begins for Fnatic and their League of Legends saga. The team has found their next mid laner to grace the Summoner’s Rift. He is Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek, formerly from Spanish organization, MAD Lions.
We are Fnatic. We create the best. We do it for the best.
For we crown kings.@nemesis_lol, the next in line.#CROWNINGKINGS #ALWAYSFNATIC
📽️ https://t.co/ECoGWT8S4X
📰 https://t.co/dAlyIZCh5o pic.twitter.com/gEX6ZYWirO— FNATIC (@FNATIC) November 29, 2018
Fnatic is coming off of losing their superstar mid laner Rasmus “Caps” Winther, as well as veteran top laner Paul “sOAZ” Boyer. Also, they would also lose their head coach, Dylan Falco to FC Schalke 04. The news that Caps was leaving the organization would catch many fans, analysts and players off-guard. There would also be a pretty big scandal surrounding the situation, as Fnatic’s founder would tweet out and imply that Caps was poached from the team. However, although they must learn from the past, they must also look towards the future with Nemesis.
Fnatic: A Taste for the Crown
This year was a year to remember for Fnatic fans all over the world. The team would dominate the EU LCS in 2018, finishing with the best record in each split. They would subsequently win both the Spring and Summer Split championships. They would also contribute to Europe’s success at Rift Rivals against North America. However, their greatest accomplishment this year, and probably in recent memory was at Worlds 2018.
Fnatic would enter a group with China’s Invictus Gaming, North America’s 100 Thieves and Taiwan’s G-Rex. As expected, they would absolutely crush their competition, going 5-1 in the group. Many people would have high hopes for the European first seed, and they would not disappoint. Through the quarterfinals and semifinals, Fnatic would only lose one game. They would run right through Chinese third seed, EDward Gaming. Afterward, they would run into North America’s last hope, Cloud9, in the semifinals, where they would sweep them. They would reach the Grand Finals of the World Championship for the first time since Season One.
Although they would be swept by Invictus Gaming, it was still a memorable day for not just European fans, but Western fans in general. For the first time, there were three Western teams in the top four of Worlds. A European team made it to the Finals, and it felt like the gap was closing. As a result, many would consider Fnatic the best team in the region, until they lost some key members.
Who Is Nemesis?
Not many people know who this 19-year-old mid laner comes from, but here’s the backstory. Nemesis is a young player whose career started not too long ago. He has been playing for Spanish organization, MAD Lions since October 2017. Before then, he had not been on any professional team. Joey “YoungBuck” Steltenpool would give high praise for Nemesis, saying:
Fnatic famously has a long history of building up legendary European midlaners and we truly believe that we have found yet another great prodigy in Nemesis. We’ve been following Nemesis for quite some time during his stay at Mad Lions and, from everything we’ve seen and heard, he ticks all the boxes. We have heard nothing but the highest praise of his mindset, work ethic and it’s become clear he has a very broad champion pool.
Fnatic has also proven time and time again that they have the tools to help young, promising players to rise to their true potential. For example, just look at Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau, Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen, and of course, Caps. They were all talented rookies with similar backgrounds to their new mid laner. Now, they may be some of the best in the position in Europe. Of course, fans are rightfully upset that Caps has left the team. He was supposed to be the face of the franchise, and with him, Fnatic was no doubt the best team in the LEC. However, people must remain hopeful that this new midlaner can grow just as well.
We wish the best of luck to Nemesis and Fnatic in the future!
What are your thoughts on Fnatic picking up Nemesis? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more League of Legends coverage, check us out here!
