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League of Legends Worlds 2022 is only a few days away from the start and it looks like one of its major contestants, Fnatic, has hit a roadblock right at the beginning. Two of the biggest players within the team, Upset and Hylissang, have tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be traveling with the team.
This could have some serious consequences as Fnatic will have to take part in the play-in stage to qualify for the group stage. However, losing Upset and Hylissang can seriously hurt the team's performance and morale.
Last year, Upset had to leave midway through the tournament for personal reasons as well. Hence, a similar incident happening once again right before the tournament will be disastrous for the team and fans alike.
Fnatic might have to field substitutes in League of Legends Worlds 2022 play-ins
Since Fnatic's star botlane duo, Upset and Hylissang, have tested positive for COVID-19, neither of them will be able to travel with the team that is set to play its first game on September 29, 2022.
In fact, the general rules regarding COVID-19 requires quarantine for extended duration. It is improbable that Riot Games will allow two players to take part remotely considering the entire tournament has been be attended in person by every player.
In such a scenario, Fnatic might be forced to field two substitute players to play in the botlane during League of Legends Worlds 2022. This was done earlier as well when Fnatic fielded Bean, one of its academy players during Upset's absence in Worlds 2021.
Although Bean performed quite well, the results did not slot in Fnatic's favor and the team crashed out of the group stage in a disastrous fashion. However, considering there is not much that they can do at this point, going for substitutes seems to be the only possible option.
Fnatic issued a statement on Twitter saying that the organization is currently working quite closely with Riot Games to find a solution. However, the team will prioritize players' health and not take any steps that will affect it.
Doubts regarding internal issues within Fnatic sprung up when leaks suggested that they had not been involved in the pre-Worlds 2022 scrims. While G2 Esports and Rogue have been hard at work, Fnatic has not practiced at all and denied scrims with both teams.
This led to controversy within the League of Legends community, but now it seems like the truth is out. In any case, fielding substitutes seems to be the only possible solution for the team in the current situation.
However, Upset and Hylissang are way too important for Fnatic and are often regarded as the best botlane duo in the Western League of Legends scene. Therefore, it will definitely be a tough play-in for the team and everyone else will have to step up big time.
If Fnatic are able to make it past the play-ins, it might be possible for Upset and Hylissang to re-join the team right before the group stages begin.
