Fnatic vs Hanwha Life Esports

This is where things get a whole lot more interesting. We have two highly flawed teams, neither of which are favored to make it out of groups. At the same time, they can definitely pack a punch and are stacked with talented players and just enough veterancy to leave a mark. Plus, with the way things have unfolded lately, we'd be remiss if we didn't say that both Hanwha Life and Fnatic have the potential to upset, no matter how grim the odds may be.

Much like Rogue and Cloud9, they'll fight like their lives depend on it and, well, there's quite a lot on the line, too: a shot at making a bit of history and a noticeably larger sum of money. Frankly speaking, just one of those two would've sufficed! This way, however, with so much to be gained, both teams are all but guaranteed to start off swinging, so expect a metric ton of chaos and mayhem from the very moment they step foot on stage to compete.

Royal Never Give up and PSG Talon are still a cut above, but the margin for error has shrunk considerably, and after so many upsets, we're definitely not going to give them the full benefit of the doubt before first seeing them play. HLE are obviously in a slightly more favorable position as they already have a win over Fnatic, so if they can get another "W" on the board they'd not only equalize their record but also stand a fairly solid shot at making it out -- assuming things pan out their way. They simply *need* to beat the former "Kings of Europe" if they want to stand even the slightest chance of reaching quarters. And that, in short, is the kind of high-pressure situation that HLE rarely thrived in.

Fnatic, on the other hand, have no pressure whatsoever -- their hype train has already been derailed and their spirits have reached a record low. That doesn't mean they'll just roll over and surrender (far from it), but rather that they've reached rock bottom and can only go up from this point onwards. That's a phenomenal position to be in as it's freeing in every sense of the word. There's nothing to fight for, really, as their chances at making it out are so small and meagre we might as well consider them non-existent -- so why not create a bit of chaos, as somewhat of a parting gift, if you will? Now, historically speaking, Fnatic *have* found ways to correct course and pull off the seemingly impossible, but this line-up is by no means as experienced as the one that played in 2017.

Be that as it may, subverting everyone's expectations is in Fnatic's DNA, and this particular team should be no different in that regard. While they're not exactly predicted to accomplish much in the grand scheme of things, the odds on them upsetting Hanwha Life Esports are simply too good to pass up. So, needless to say, we're going with the underdogs on this one!