G2 Esports vs Fnatic

This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most anticipated clash of the entire split. This is always the one match-up everyone looks forward to, regardless of who’s playing and what’s the meta like. G2 Esports vs. Fnatic is as good as it gets folks — a fight between the current and former “Kings of Europe.”

If there’s one game you absolutely need to watch, then it has to be this one. Both teams are stacked beyond reason and will no doubt look to dominate right from the very get-go precisely because there’s so much tension, not to mention the many multi-year-long narratives that have been floating around. Whenever G2 and Fnatic step foot on stage to compete, fireworks are all but guaranteed. And this is especially true whenever they’re scheduled to face against each other. That’s when both teams start swinging for the fences and throw caution out the window. And you just love to see it, too. There’s nothing like it in the West, and we cannot wait to see it all unfold!

Their roads towards this point, however, have been somewhat dissimilar. G2 Esports pretty much ran circles around their opposition save for that one game against Schalke 04 (the one that got us all worried for a bit). Fnatic, on the other hand, have had huge ups and downs thus far. Frankly speaking, you never really know which shade of Fnatic will come out and play. It all boils down to preparation, their draft, and how they’re feeling on that given day. Sometimes they’re more interested in playing things “by the book” so they take one step at a time and close things out in rather clean and commanding fashion. Other times it’s like they get fed up with calculated play and just go in and skirmish like there’s no tomorrow. And it’s not dependent on their opponent, either. This kind of volatility is fun to watch, but it’s not exactly a positive thing if you’re looking to bet on (or against) the boys in black and orange.

Regardless, they’re experimenting, and they have every reason to do so. We're still at the very start of the season, and even though a good number of games have already been played, there's still a long way to go before the playoffs come around. This Fnatic bunch needs to test their limits and there's only one way to do so. And, of course, losing a couple of games along the way is just a natural part of the process.

In the end, however, we simply have to side with the defending champions on this one. They're better across the board and while the gap between them might not be as huge as some think, it still exists, and that much should be evident tonight as well. With Rekkles aboard, they've pretty much completed the LEC "Exodia" and it's hard to imagine a world in which they struggle to defend their throne. Fnatic, of course, will trade heavy blows — of that much you can be certain, but once the dust settles, G2 should definitely be able to get the win.