AD carry for Karmine Corp Elias “Upset” Lipp has called out the League of Legends EMEA Championship casters for overly criticizing him and his past LEC Split performances during the LEC 2024 Summer Split match between KC and Mad Lions KOI on June 9.
Upset expressed his displeasure in a post on X (formerly Twitter) today, stating casters often provide “no nuance” and believing those on the broadcast lean into “just shitting on people when they are in a bad moment.” Upset went on to explain that such behaviors can have an impact on a player’s career, demonstrating a lack of empathy or concern for a player as a person.
Esports casters occupy a unique role: they must call play-by-play, break down strategy, and assess the game and players while the games are live. Unfortunately, casters might over-criticize or make comments out of context, which can irritate some people—as Upset feels happened.
During the 2024 LEC Summer Split match between KC and MDK, a tweet was read over the radio, stating that MDK’s Supa must prove himself. Vedius commented that while he was not attempting to throw shade, Supa made the finals in his very first split, whereas Upset has been in 10th place three times in a He was referring to KC’s 10th place in the 2024 spring and winter splits, as well as Vitality’s 10th spot in the 2023 summer split. The AD remained upset throughout the three seasons.
To some, Vedius’ statements imposed a narrative in which listeners may consider Upset as the reason for KC and Team Vitalty’s 10th-place finishes in the previous three LEC Splits, which does not bode well for Upset. So it is understandable that he was upset by this bad story.
Vedius apologized for his comment, reflecting that he missed the mark while trying to balance fun, criticism, and analysis and didn’t mean to create a narrative that would hurt anyone. Upset remarked on this apology that he had no hard feelings and wished they were “viewed with some empathy.”
But League fans have a different perspective on the matter. Some believe that casters should be calling out players more for their bad plays and that if pro players want a different narrative, they should, as one fan commented, “shut up, [and] prove it with [their] game. Get to the playoffs, and we will shut up.
Although there are differing perspectives on this circumstance, it looks that Upset and Vedius have moved on. That said, we will watch how this incident affects how the broadcast criticizes teams and players as the LEC Summer Split resumes on June 10.