Photo: ESL
Today when the European Masters arrive, it seems normal to expect a French victory. It must be said that with the Karmine Corp, we were rather spoiled. 3 titles in a row… no one had ever achieved such a feat. But recent events should not make us forget the past either. The first LFL team to win this European competition is Misfits Premier. The rabbits played their last game in the French league, but they will have left behind many good memories. To pay tribute to this team, let’s see what has become of these former pioneers today.
Danny “Dan Dan” The Count, The American Dream
the Double-D is now 26 years old. Last year, he was still in the LFL. The former Rabbit, however, had swapped his jersey to become a Fox at LDLC OL. But since this season, he has moved away from the field a bit. As a coach, he is still in contact, but he no longer plays. It is unclear whether his retirement from sport is final, but he seems to be thirsty to learn. Assistant coach at 100 Thieves Academy, we imagine that in the long term he aspires to coach a single team. But for now, he continues his apprenticeship with Goldenglue.
In terms of results, they are quite good. 100 Thieves Academy finished in 2nd place in the LCS Academy Summer Split. It now remains to be confirmed at the LCS Proving Grounds, which serve as the playoffs.
Patrick “Obsess” Engelmann, across the Rhine
The German-born jungler left just after winning the Misfits Premier title at EUM. It’s unclear if he was homesick, but Obsess returned to Prime League, the German-speaking ERL. It is still evolving there today. After mousesport and Schalke Evolution, he now defends the colors of theEintracht Spandau. This team founded by an influencer dreams of a career at Karmine Corp. However, this is not yet the case and even if the structure was at the EUM this year in the Spring, it missed the qualification for the Summer.
To 24 years, Obsess is still young. His contract ends at the end of the season, but we imagine that he will continue to play for a few more years.
Adam “LIDER” Ilyasov, a very chaotic journey
LIDER is a player who is not like the others. Its course is worthy of the greatest roller coaster. The Norwegians alternated between good and bad times. The ERL circuit and the LEC played ping-pong with him and he was offered several chances in Europe’s top flight. Without being catastrophic, however, he never managed to convince to settle in the long term.
In Europe, he had fallen into an impasse, stuck on the bench of Team Vitality. But for Summer 2022, he signed in North America to join Golden Guardians…Academy. Some will say that it was unworthy of his talent and they will not be totally wrong. Luckily, he ended up making his way to team one in the LCS. His rating is going up, but until when? To 23 yearshe still has time to yo-yo.
Matúš “Neon” Jakubčík, the gravedigger of structures
Neon is still a Rabbit today. But he was promoted! He no longer plays in the LFL, but in the LEC alongside Vetheo at Misfits Gaming. Obviously, he will have to find a new terrier next year, as the structure looses its academic team but also its team one. But the ADC can still take advantage of it. He should be in the playoffs and he has a real chance of playing in the Worlds! Europe is indeed sending 4 representatives for this edition… which allows a lot of people to dream.
But it should still be noted that Neon did not stay with Misfits continuously. Between 2019 and 2022, he thus played for 2 years at Schalke 04. He will therefore have lived the last moments in the LEC of two different teams. While he is only 23 years old, one wonders if he will make other victims.
Aleksi “Hiiva” Kaikkonen, faithful as a rabbit
The former Support retired in early 2021 to take on the role of coach. But he still stuck with Misfits. After a brief experience at Solary, he soon returned home. He successfully coached in LFL Misfits Premier, winning Lyon e-Sport, a French championship title and the LFL Finals on his way. Promoted in 2022 as coach of the LEC team, he helps his team progress and his work is praised by all. We don’t really know what he’s going to do after the resale of the slot, but he shouldn’t be short of proposals. Coach Hiva only has 27 years old and he still has many good years ahead of him.