Misfits vs Fnatic

This, by all means, should be a lopsided beatdown. We have the former "Kings of Europe" on the one side and a feisty (albeit still flawed) gatekeeper on the other. The gap between them? Tremendous. A chasm that cannot -- and will not -- be narrowed. And yet, for a multitude of reasons, we feel a certain kind of weariness about this. A dread, if you will, about a potential upset. It's unlikely, granted (exceedingly so, even), but it's not impossible, and if there's one thing that we've learned about this particular version of Fnatic it is that they don't always adhere to reason and logic -- hence their many mind-boggling losses.

They're every bit as talented (if not even more) as the incumbent LEC champions G2 Esports. They're better than MAD and Rogue, too. They have some of the very best and most experienced players who've ever taken flesh -- legends, each and every single one of them (save for Razork who, funnily enough, has been their biggest catalyst lately).

How in the world are they then struggling so much? How can we explain their inconsistency? Their lacking synergy? Their differing views on how the game should be played? Their volatility, the likes of which can only be matched by, say, Team Vitality?

They're a mess, in short, and one cannot, with confidence, make any kind of prediction in regards to how well they'll do, whether or not they'll be able to perform and, subsequently, come out on top. They have the talent, there's no denying it (ditto for experience), but the "pieces of the puzzle" rarely come together, for whatever reason.

EXCEL dominated them with ease last week and, well, it wasn't even *remotely* competitive. Now, sure, Fnatic *did* bounce back, but narrowly so. It wasn't a tremendous improvement nor a rapid, "on-the-fly" development worthy of mentioning. They adapted ever so slightly, and certain players -- by which we mean Razork and Wunder -- stepped up a ton and, in doing so, hard-carried the whole of Fnatic over the finish line. It wasn't a good showing nor did their win instill us with any supreme amount of confidence. Quite the contrary.

Many of the same flaws and weaknesses which Fnatic had throughout the regular season were still on full display, and the fact that they barely got through EXCEL doesn't really bode well for their future overall. Their games left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth and, well, it doesn't seem like they'll be able to grow much over the coming days and weeks -- there's just not enough time to fix everything that needs fixing.

At their best, they can not only compete with G2, MAD, and Rogue on even footing but also come out ahead. But for Fnatic to perform at such a high level -- i.e. their best -- the stars really have to align. Their drafts were also out of whack and not at all in line with what we expected. Now sure, a bit of that can be ascribed to their two-week-long break, but the point stands nonetheless. They looked like a frail, fragile team without a clear, coherent identity, and if they don't find a way to correct course and harness their inherent potential (which, by the way, is quite immense) they're not going to end up leaving a mark. Of that much you can be certain.

All of that being said, the fact that they're scheduled to face Misfits Gaming can, by all means, be considered a reprieve of sorts. Misfits are no slouch, of that we're all aware, but they're a lot easier to prepare for than, say, EXCEL (or any other playoff team, for that matter). They're quite capable, too, and they *have* been winning through Neon as well (in addition to Vetheo), but they're still not all that powerful and are somewhat easy to prepare for and, potentially, counter (both in draft and in game).

They could still beat Fnatic, mind you, but it *is* an unlikely outcome -- assuming the boys in black and orange have done their homework. In the end, we'll go with Fnatic on this one and hope for the best. They're the better team with a much higher skill ceiling and there's a lot on the line as well: a ticket to the World Championship. Fnatic, generally, always perform best when the going gets rough, so if they come out the gates swinging and play their best League of Legends, they should definitely be able to best Misfits and, in doing so, set up a clash with the former two-time LEC champions MAD Lions.