Fnatic vs G2 Esports

The LEC el clasico. The clash we all love to watch, and, without a doubt, the most exciting match-up in LEC history: G2 Esports vs. Fnatic. Whenever these two teams step foot on stage to compete — be it in person or in an online-only setting — there’s a reason to tune in. Across these two line-ups, we have some of the best and most talented players Europe ever fostered. They’re so darn good at League of Legends, it doesn’t even make sense. Granted, they’re both staggeringly volatile at times, but it’s the nature of the game. When you have five exceptionally talented individuals, it’s quite hard to synergize and function as a unit. G2 and Fnatic know this best, and they’ve been throughout it all over the last couple of years.

This Best of 5, in particular, is incredibly exciting because for the first time in a long while, Fnatic were able to best their perennial adversaries — after a two-year-long drought. Ever since Caps moved over to G2, Fnatic were unable to match the most talented and stacked team ever assembled on European soil. They simply couldn’t compete, neither on an individual level nor as a five-man unit. Sure, they often got close, but G2 prevailed whenever it mattered the most. In fact, G2 only lost three Besf of 5s over the last two seasons: once to FunPlus Phoenix in the finals of the World Championship, once to MAD Lions last split, and now once to Fnatic. Three losses across nearly two years is a pretty darn good record, you’ll agree, but all three tell us something incredibly important: G2 are slipping. They’re not as disciplined as one would expect. That’s what happens when you’re able to run circles around your opposition for years. No one can compete, nor even come close. When G2 prepare, draft as well as they can, and perform up to their level, there’s only but a few teams that can match them blow for blow — and they hail from the LPL, and only the LPL. Still, G2 aren’t quite as sharp, and it’s hard to understand why.

Have they lost their drive to compete after winning nearly all there was to win? Do they no longer feel the thrill of the hunt, so to speak, without thousands of fans screaming their names at the top of their lungs? They’ve won so many times in a row that it’s easy to lose motivation. They’ve already proved their worth, and have nothing else to fight for. And sure, an unexpected loss to Fnatic will surely reignite that competitive itch, but it’s highly questionable whether it’ll be enough — after all, it’s not much of a rivalry if G2 won every single Best of 5 except this most recent one.

Fnatic, on the other hand, are doing everything that’s in their power to reclaim their long-lost throne. And they have all the right tools to do as well. Their drafts have improved, they’re finally more cohesive and focused on the task at hand. Selfmade, in particular, has been destroying his opponents in every way, shape, and form, and is Fnatic’s biggest catalyst game after game. He’s not only pushing them ahead in the early game but is also providing ample protection to his Slovenian mid laner Nemesis — an individual who hasn’t really shined bright throughout 2020. His champion pool is quite meagre and it just feels like he’s not at the same level as most of his teammates. He does have pop-off performances, that’s for sure, but they’re nowhere near as consistent as they need to be for Fnatic to warrant a spot at the very top.

Here’s the thing — they beat G2 fair and square. They simply played better League of Legends on the day and have won as a result. Still, G2 made very concrete and obvious mistakes, and yet they still went the distance and nearly even won. When you make such obvious blunders, it’s relatively easy to go back to the drawing board, fix your flaws, and come back even stronger. G2 know what they need to work on to once again defend their LEC throne. That doesn’t mean they’ll succed, but it stands to reason that they’ll adapt and come back even stronger. Furthermore, they know what they’re up against. They know what Fnatic does best and how to counter it. It’s going to be an uphill battle, that’s for sure, but if there was ever a team graced with supreme confidence and ability to correct course in a split second, it has to be G2 Esports. They’ve already outclassed Fnatic on so many different occassions throughout the past, and they know what needs to be done for a repeat to happen.

The fact that they lost to Fnatic a week ago and are once again the favorites coming into this Best of 5 tells you all you need to know. They’re so darn good at what they do and have weathered many storms throughought the last the years. Losing a close Best of 5 to Fnatic is by no means the be all and end all — they’ll adapt and compete at the highest of levels once again.

These two giants have seven LEC titles apiece. They’re the best and most revered organizations in the entire West, and the fact that we’re once again seeing them the finals — for the millionth time — should come as no surprise. This is truly a tale as old as time, but it hasn’t been this competitive in quite a long while. Selfmade is the differentiating factor, and he’ll have to hardcarry beyond reason for Fnatic to stand a chance. G2’s bottom lane duo has also severely underperformed throughout the playoffs, making this an even harder prediction than anyone could’ve expected. In the end, we’re going with G2 Esports, although this could really go either way. Both teams are separated by the slimmest of margins and it’ll all go down to the wire.