Fnatic vs SK Gaming

Next up, we have a somewhat exciting clash between Fnatic and SK Gaming. Now, just writing such a thing makes one feel strange. How can match-up that has SK Gaming on either side be even remotely exciting? The second half of 2020 is definitely giving us a glimpse into one of the more dank timelines: a split in which SK Gaming is not only an acceptable mid-tier contender, but is even taking games off of top ranked teams.

Unexpected, to say the least.

They're reveling in their underdog status and have finally realized where their biggest strengths lie. They're not a competitive behemoth by any stretch of the imagination, but they're doing many things right and are playing some of their best League of Legends to date. They're fearless and they're playing like they have nothing to lose -- finally. Obviously, as inherently flawed as they are, they won't be able to do much in the grand scheme of things, but just seeing them compete and trade blows with the many LEC mainstays makes things a lot more exciting.

Fnatic, on the other hand, is on a four-game losing streak. That's quite a surprise, but they did opt to experiment with Soraka in the bottom lane, so their mediocre level of play is at least somewhat excusable.

Losing isn't the end all be all, and dropping a couple of games because they're trying stuff out is by no means an egregious result. Still, four losses is nothing to scoff at, and they didn't look particularly good in the process. In fact, many fans and analysts were baffled by their performance so it's only natural to expect Fnatic to go back to square one and draft what they're good at -- no funny business this time around. In any case, if they start off on the right foot, they shouldn't have any trouble in taking SK Gaming down.

That said, proceed with caution seeing how they haven't been playing to the best of their ability over the last couple of weeks.