Rhuckz and Bean to replace Fnatic botlane ahead of League of Legends Worlds 2022

Bean will have to slot in for Upset yet again at the World Championships (Image via Riot Games)
Bean will have to slot in for Upset yet again at the World Championships (Image via Riot Games)

On September 27, 2022, Fnatic officially announced that Rhuckz and Bean would be replacing their highly revered botlane ahead of League of Legends Worlds 2022. Rhuckz has been included from the Fnatic academy team, while Bean was already added in as a substitute for the Worlds 2022 roster beforehand.

This has been done because Upset and Hylissang were affected by COVID-19, thereby rendering them ineligible to participate in the tournament. This is something that has been in order since the news dropped, but Riot Games have finally given the green signal for Fnatic to proceed with this move.

Rhuckz and Bean will be temporary players subject to whatever happens to Upset and Hylissang during the tournament. In any case, it is a major blow for Fnatic as it will hinder the team's progress during the play-in stage at Worlds 2022.


Upset and Hylissang might be forced to miss out on appearing for League of Legends Worlds 2022 if Fnatic's run ends prematurely

Fnatic will slot Bean into the ADC position and Rhuckz into the support position as replacements for Upset and Hylissang for League of Legends Worlds 2022. This is a devastating blow for the team as the Fnatic botlane is the team's strongest point and is also the best in all of Europe.

In a tournament like League of Legends Worlds 2022, where Fnatic will be facing some of the best teams across the world, subbing in one player can be fine, but subbing in an entire lane will be problematic. This is because those players will have to adapt to the team's playstyle and the intense levels of competition.

This is often unfair as it can lead to the subbed players performing badly, which can reflect poorly on the team. Previously, during League of Legends Worlds 2021, Upset had to leave the team right before the tournament because of family problems.

This led to serious complications as the entire roster crumbled under pressure, and Fnatic displayed one of its worst performances on the international stage. The same can also happen this time, and that might be a worrying sign for many fans, as they might not get to see their full team play together at all.

Considering that Upset and Hylissang have been affected by COVID-19, they will have to wait for at least two weeks before becoming eligible for the tournament. Of course, there might be even more complications depending on how the United States of America handles the issues.

It is a fact that COVID-19 is no longer as lethal as it was in 2021 and has been neutralized a lot. Even then, the protocols have not changed much, which means the appearance of Upset and Hylissang will depend on how Fnatic performs in the play-in stages.

Fnatic, during the play-ins at League of Legends Worlds 2022, might have to face teams like RNG and DRX in best-of-five games. If that happens, facing players like Gala, Ming, and Deft with a subbed in the botlane will be quite unfair for both the players and the team.

Unfortunately, this is what Fnatic has to work with now, and hope that things turn out alright before its botlane can once again join the team to compete at the tournament.

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