The 2021 League of Legends World Championship has now reached a critical point. All eight teams to go through to the quarterfinals have been locked in. Europe's rookies have repeatedly taken the opportunity to prove themselves on the world stage, building on their impressive League of Legends European Championship (LEC) debuts amid some highly challenging matches.
Although only MAD Lions will be continuing their Worlds journey, rookies from Fnatic and Rogue played an impressive few matches during the group stage of the tournament. Here we take a detailed look at the players who made their first LEC appearance this year, and how they performed under the pressure of Worlds.
**Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus – Rogue**
Maybe next year, Trymbi...
Although Rogue were knocked out during the group stages, Trymbi played a crucial role in each game, building on his success as a rookie in the LEC this year. Despite this loss, he was instrumental in Rogue's victories this year – boasting the most wins and assists of the rookies in the Summer Season. This reputation doesn't seem to be waning, as Trymbi placed himself as the sixth highest support player, with an average of 9.5 assists per game during the group stage.
Trymbi has played it safe when picking his champions, however, rotating Braum, Leona, Nami, and Rakan throughout the group stages. While usually more experimental, Trymbi has struggled to find a place in this year's meta, leading to him favouring more comfortable picks in important games. With this year’s Worlds now done and dusted, Trymbi has no doubt gained vital international experience, and will be sure to be an even more potent player in future.
**Adam "Adam" Maanane – Fnatic**
Adam poses alongside teammate, Bwipo.
Adam had already made a name for himself at the LEC this year after being named the Summer Rookie of the Season and led the league table with 15 solo kills during the regular season and hit an average of 403 gold per minute, the highest of all toplaners. Adam had big shoes to fill as toplaner for Fnatic, replacing Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau who moved to jungle, but he quickly proved himself a valuable asset to the team.
Adam stood out yet again on the Worlds stage, as the only EU rookie to get a First Blood kill during the group stage, and performed admirably despite the pressure. He seemed comfortable in his abilities, and although Fnatic only took one victory (against Royal Never Give Up), he was a strong component of the team throughout – providing 12 assists during the winning game. Adam also had the highest solo kill count of any of the rookies, with three across the group stage, and hit the highest Damage Per Minute at 527. His highlight of the tournament came when he found an all important kill on Chen "GALA" Wei before executing a brilliant teleport to trap his opponents in Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer's ultimate.
**Louis "BEAN" Schmitz – Fnatic**
BEAN filled in for Upset, who wasn't able to make it to Worlds.
When ADC Elias "Upset" Lipp had to unexpectedly drop out of Fnatic's Worlds roster, Fnatic Rising botlaner BEAN stepped up to complete the lineup – while not an official LEC rookie, we couldn’t not mention his presence. Considering the 21-year-old had only 24 hours notice before having to perform on the biggest LoL stage in existence, he performed admirably. While Adam might have stolen the show in Fnatic's win over RNG, BEAN played a crucial role, holding down the botlane against the might of Chen "GALA" Wei. BEAN boasted seven kills and nine assists in this game, for a KDA of 4.0.
BEAN also shined in the match against Hanwha Life Esports, which unfortunately ended in defeat for Fnatic. This game saw his killcount hit double figures, with the German even securing a kill on Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu. BEAN achieved his highest KDA – 8.0 – in Fnatic's struggle against PSG Talon, in which the player went deathless, bagging five kills and three assists. While it might not have been the Worlds debut he envisioned, BEAN proved himself a capable and dependable asset to the team, and certainly worthy of playing at LoL's top level.
**Javier "Elyoya" Prades Batalla – MAD Lions**
Elyoya shined in MAD's tiebreaker game against LNG.
One of the two rookies going forward to the quarterfinals, Elyoya has also made a dramatic debut this year. He was Spring's Rookie of the Season, and won both Summer and Spring championships with his squad, MAD Lions. One of Elyoya's key strengths is his versatility, a trait he continued to show at Worlds, using six champions across the eight group stage games and including newcomer Viego.
With a total of 62 assists this round, and a KDA of 2.9, Elyoya's performance on the world stage has been largely consistent with his dramatic debut, although a very average gold per minute count could use some attention before the quarterfinals. So far, he has managed to peak at 408 GPM, in the match against Gen.G, although has tended to hover around 290-360. That being said, Elyoya's calm presence allows him to predict the opponent's next move, even when the rest of the team are immersed in chaos. His prevention of a potentially devastating play, where Elyoya managed to predict a devious teleport, during the tiebreaker game with LNG Esports stands out as a moment of impeccable perception and clarity.
**İrfan "Armut" Tükek – MAD Lions**
Despite being an LEC rookie, Armut is no stranger to international play.
The second rookie to play for MAD Lions, Armut will also be carrying the LEC mantle through to the quarterfinals. Having exploded onto the scene with a determined approach to offensive play, the MAD Lions toplaner played a crucial role in the team's first LEC title this Spring Season. This is far from his first Worlds experience, however, as his old team SuperMassive Esports upset MAD Lions in last year's competition.
Armut has so far been bringing in more gold than any other rookie, peaking at 470 per minute against LNG Esports, and has the second highest solo kills, bagging two in his group stage games. His participation in team fights has drawn some excitement in the lead up to the quarterfinals, as in this play against Team Liquid, [where he set the stage for completely eradicating the rival team's bot lane.][1] That's not to say his solo efforts have taken a backseat, as the heavy use of Gnar set Armut up for some [textbook kills.][2] We can't wait to see how Armut fares in MAD Lions' upcoming bout with reigning world champions DWG KIA.
[1]: https://twitter.com/MADUpdates_EN/status/1450113484600094727
[2]: https://twitter.com/MADUpdates_EN/status/1448265536379441152
