Febiven retires from proplay and transitions to coaching

"This feels like my last chance, I will make it count" said Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten in our interview during the last LFL Days in February. Now that Team du Sud decided to dismantle the club, the player has announced he is retiring from pro play. The 27-year-old midlaner explains he will be transitioning to coaching after playing professionally for eleven years. He is an experienced player and a source of inspiration for many players as he had some great successes in his career, mostly in Europe with Fnatic in the EU LCS, before spending a year in the LCS where his performance declined. The Dutch player then went on to compete in the ERLs of different countries for several years, training rookies and playing at the highest regional level. Here's a retrospective on the career of a player who was destined to become a European star.

Febiven’s professional debut came in 2014 with Cloud9 Eclipse, a European Challenger team, where his early performances showcased his incredible mechanical prowess and game sense. By then, he was dominating the league and won Spring Playoffs alongside toplaner Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu and ADC Petter "Hjarnan" Freyschuss. His talent was undeniable, and he soon moved to H2K in Summer 2014 with his two team mates, still playing in the Challenger League back then, and they won Summer Playoffs again. It was here that Febiven caught the attention of the top teams in Europe, solidifying his reputation as a rising European talent.

His major breakthrough came when he joined Fnatic in 2015, finally joining the EU LCS and stepping into the shoes of the legendary Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño Martínez. At Fnatic, Febiven was part of an iconic five-man roster:

Together, they dominated the EU LCS during the 2015 Spring and Summer Splits, going undefeated in the regular Summer season (18-0 track-record) and becoming European champions twice in a row. Febiven was a key component of this domination, known for his impeccable play on control mages like Orianna and his explosive performances on assassins like Zed and LeBlanc.

At the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational, Febiven made international headlines when he solo-killed Faker twice in the semifinals against SK Telecom T1 on his Zed, cementing his place among the world's elite midlaners. Though Fnatic lost the series, Febiven’s performance earned him global recognition. This year will also mark Febiven's only participation to Worlds, reaching the semi-finals and falling hard against favorites KOO Tigers led by Song "Smeb" Kyung-ho.

However, not every year with Fnatic was golden. After the success of 2015, Fnatic's roster changed in 2016, and the team struggled to find their previous form. Fnatic endured their worst season to date, failing to qualify for the World Championship and ultimately relinquishing their European crown to a newly formed powerhouse, G2 Esports, which began its own era of dominance that year.

In 2017, Febiven returned to H2K in the EU LCS, looking to regain his form after Fnatic’s disappointing 2016. Although his play remained sharp, H2K never quite reached the heights Febiven once experienced with Fnatic. H2K made deep playoff runs but could not secure a championship or a spot at the Worlds that year.

In a move to reinvigorate his career, Febiven left Europe and signed with Clutch Gaming (now renamed Dignitas) in North America for the 2018 season. It was an ambitious attempt to prove himself in a different region, but the results were underwhelming. While Clutch Gaming had moments of potential, they were unable to compete with North America's best teams. They ended 4th in Spring, 9th in Summer. Febiven's time in the NA LCS is often viewed as a misstep in his career.

Febiven returned to Europe in 2019, joining Misfits Gaming in the LEC (formerly EU LCS), hoping to prove he is still able to fight among the best once again. Misfits had built a super-team that year, with veteran Kang "GorillA" Beom-hyun and very promising Steven "Hans Sama" Liv on the botlane and star toplaner Paul "sOAZ" Boyer. But the team was plagued by a lack of cohesion, and despite flashes of brilliance, they consistently fell short of expectations. Misfits finished outside of playoffs contention in both splits that year, marking another low point in Febiven's career.

In 2020, Febiven was the only player who remained with Misfits while he played alongside young talents that included Iván "Razork" Martín Díaz. They will end 6th in Spring and 8th in Summer.

By 2021, Febiven was no longer competing at the LEC level and had become something of a mercenary in the European Regional Leagues (ERLs), still driven to prove that he belonged at the top. He joined Fnatic Rising, Fnatic's academy team, for a year in the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC). Here, he made it to the grand finals of both the Spring and Summer splits but fell short of winning the title each time, despite playing alongside a promising lineup that included Magnus "MAXI" Kristensen in the jungle and the botlane duo of Louis "BEAN" Schmitz and Rúben "rhuckz" Barbosa.

In 2022, Febiven found himself without a team for much of the year, but he briefly joined Mirage Elyandra through the Up&Down tournament, competing for the first time for the French LFL. In 2023, he joined SK Gaming Prime in the Prime League, Germany's regional league, and finally found success again. SK Gaming Prime had a stellar Summer Split, and Febiven played a key role as he brought stability throughout games, leading them to victory in the Prime League Summer Finals with a dominant 3-0 sweep over USE.

However, Febiven’s journey came to a close in 2024. He joined Team du Sud in the LFL, hoping to continue his success, but the project faltered, and TDS ultimately disbanded for health issues. With the collapse of the team, Febiven’s professional playing career came to an end.