Fnatic vs exceL

Betting against Fnatic simply doesn't make any sense at this point. They're far from perfect, of course, but they're playing some truly spectacular League of Legends and have looked nigh unstoppable thus far. Well, they *did* have a couple of blunders here and there, but it was nothing out of the ordinary — they're still figuring out how they want to play the game as a five-man unit, so we'll let these small little fumbles slide (at least for the time being).

Their game against Vitality yesterday was, as expected, an absolute masterclass. Each and every single member of the team was carrying his fair share of the weight and, as is so often the case, it was an absolute blast to watch from start to finish. The boys in black and orange are currently the most feared and dangerous team in Europe, and while they're still a bit too inconsistent (or volatile, rather) at times, we can already see their many signs of greatness. How high they'll climb still remains to be seen, but they really *do* have a shot at reclaiming their long lost throne — especially if they continue growing in such a positive direction.

EXCEL Esports, on the other hand, have impressed us quite a bit lately. In fact, maybe that's even an understatement. They didn't manage to get the win yesterday but they still looked mighty capable and were, in fact, trading blows for pretty much the entire game. The sheer fact that they were able to compete on even footing with the defending LEC champions tells you all you need to know when it comes to their staggering improvement and dedication. They're not to be trifled with, that's for sure. Unfortunately for XL, taking down Fnatic is an equally gargantuan task and, well, they're probably not cut out for the job. There's just no other way to put it.

That said, they'll surely give the former "Kings of Europe" hell, so expect one extremely competitive game that could, by all means, be a lot more competitive than anyone thought was possible coming into the second half of 2021. EXCEL are still nothing but a mid-tier gatekeeper (on a good day), but they're showing great signs of promise and have grown and developed in ways we never expected. So credit where credit is due. Unfortunately, Fnatic are still a cut above and should be able to prove it tonight as well. The interesting question, at least right now, is whether EXCEL will be able to subvert everyone's expectations and actually lock down a spot in the playoffs — for the very first time in the organization's history. It's a tall task, no doubt, but one simply has to wonder after seeing them go on such a respectable surge.