Fnatic vs G2 Esports

The LEC Spring Split grand finals. The moment we've all been waiting for. After three months of non-stop, high octane action, we've come to the conclusion everyone knew was inevitable: a clash between the current, and the former "Kings of Europe." No matter how the season develops, somehow it always boils down to the exact same teams, to the two giants of unparalleled strength.

Such an outcome should come as no surprise. Fnatic and G2 Esports have the best players, the most talented coaching staff, mechanical prowess, experience, and so on. That was always the case, and 2020 is no different in that regard. They've entered the playoffs as the number one and two team, respectively, but their roads towards the finals weren't that similar. In fact, it was the opposite.

Fnatic only had to go through Origen and MAD Lions to get to the finals, and they disposed of their opposition with staggering ease. They looked rather dominant, and most of the mistakes they'd made -- as few as they were -- came from themselves. They weren't pushed to the extreme, nor did they crumble under the pressure. On the contrary. They fought their own fight, drafted what they wanted, doubled down on their strengths and just obliterated their opponents game after game. It was quite the sight, really.

As things stand, they are the favorites to win the whole split, and they've been held in such high regard for the majority of the split. It's not just that G2 looked weaker throughout the last three months, but rather that Fnatic looked far better than they ever did (or least when compared to the recent past). The inclusion of Oskar "Selfmade" Boderek changed things in ways we couldn't even imagine. Now, all of a sudden, we see a different shade of Fnatic, one that is relentlessly aggressive, almost prone to brute forcing plays. You have Bwipo, Selfmade, and Hylissang on the frontlines, going for plays you didn't even think were possible, and Nemesis and Rekkles lurking in the shadows, waiting for the mid and later stages of the game to take the reins and land the finishing coup de grace.

This incarnation of Fnatic is an eclectic mix of individuals and playstyles, and it works unexpectedly well. They're hard to read, they're all on the same page, and they're graced with supreme talent and confidence. What's not to like?

G2 Esports, on the other hand, is still hard to read. "Read" in the sense that no one's quite sure how well they stack up to their 2019 form. Nothing actually changed, other than that one well-covered swap between Perkz and Caps. That's not a negligible change either, but it's by no means monumental. They're much weaker as a five-man team, however. They're no longer capable of playing through all three lanes but are instead "limited" to top and mid. That's not a huge problem overall, but against a team like Fnatic, they need all the tools and weapons they can get. Caps can still pop off and is an absolute prodigy, but those pop-off performances and moments happen far less ever since he decided to switch roles.

He's a different kind of player, and his immense strengths and virtues can best be utilized and harnessed in the mid lane. Whenever the game starts, there's always a question mark regarding his play. Sometimes he pop off and blows his opponents out of the water. Other times, he fails to start off on the right foot and pretty much ends up being a complete non-factor. He's a volatile, unstable presence in every G2 game, and that's often their biggest problem.

To his credit, he stepped up immensely yesterday and was exceptional in G2's clean 3-1 win against MAD Lions. Still, he needs to be on his best behavior if he wants to stand a chance against Rekkles and Hylissang.

G2's play this split has encompassed the entire spectrum - they go from abysmal to mind-blowing and vice versa with baffling frequency. Fnatic, on the other hand, are consistent in their aggression and dominance. They just go "all-in" regardless of the opponent, and watching them exert such immense pressure is an absolute treat. They're different in that regard when compared to G2 from last year -- they're like a bulldozer. Sometimes they show off their exceptional fundamentals as well, but more often than not it just ends up being a brute forced shellacking.

When they have to focus on macro, on complex, nuanced rotations, wave managements and the like - they do so, but if they can just all TP bottom lane five minutes in and seal the deal then that's their preferred course of actions, as evidenced on so many different occasions throughout the regular season.

Finally, Fnatic will have a huge advantage coming into the finals. They watched G2 play fives games against MAD two weeks ago, then three against Origen, and four more in their runback yesterday. That's twelve game's worth of VOD review. If a team dominates beyond measure, there's not a lot you can analyze. If, on the other hand, they're pushed to the brink of defeat, if they're forced to show their cards and play their best League of Legends, then there's a lot you can pick up on through sheer analysis. G2 doesn't have anything left in the proverbial tank. They don't have any pocket strats left primarily because they didn't have the luxury of preserving them, unlike Fnatic who just steamrolled through Origen in four games MAD Lions in three -- three quick finishes that were over in a blink of an eye. They just did what they do best which means they didn't have to dig deep. Heck, they didn't even scratch the surface in that sense.

Fnatic also knew that G2 would get the win yesterday. There's no doubt about it. Lightning doesn't strike twice when you have a team like G2 -- they're fallible, but they don't make the same egregious mistake twice. With that in mind, you can be sure that they've prepared exclusively for G2 and will start the series swinging for the fences. They know that a strong early start is important against G2 and they want to avenge their 2019 losses and reclaim their long-lost throne. Fortunately for Fnatic, they actually have all the right tools to emerge victorious in yet another historic Best of 5 against a team of seemingly equal skill and potential.

It's a far closer fight than the odds would suggest, and one could argue that Fnatic simply have to be favored, given G2's recent history and inconsistent play. Be that as it may, we should definitely be in for one insanely close Best of 5.