G2 Esports Faces Fnatic in LEC's 'Game of the Century'
By Wyatt Fossett ·
In what turned out to be one of the most exciting games of League of Legends ever to be played in regular season competition, the new kings G2 Esports attempt to complicate Fnatic's playoff hopes.
The Battle of the League of Legends European Championship’s two most celebrated teams didn’t disappoint today. Marked as the "match of the day", the LEC points-leader G2 Esports stepped into the rift against the historic Fnatic team.
In what is the final week of league play for the 2019 Spring Split, a lot of playoff potential is on the board across the entire league. Most of the war would take place for the final playoff position, as three teams headed into today’s schedule with an opportunity to snag the 6th seed.
As the day went on, we saw Misfits eliminated from playoff contention at the hands of 2nd seed Splyce, and the inevitable SK Gaming victory over Rogue. But all eyes were on game 3 of the day, the war of the new reign against the old gods.
The biggest rivalry of the LEC:
— lolesports (@lolesports) March 15, 2019
It's time for the #LEC Match of the Week between @FNATIC and @G2esports!
? https://t.co/wCghUMbh0N pic.twitter.com/iglWsnqPnD
The Drama
Notably, these two teams have been fighting one another for supremacy in the universe of European League of Legends since G2 Esports burst onto the scene in 2016. Quickly, the samurai of G2 demanded control and reign over the EU league, and Fnatic -- the once sole owners of the EU throne -- didn’t like it.
In the most recent off-season, Fnatic’s prolific mid-laner Rasmus 'Caps' Winther left the historic squad and took up the mid-lane carry role for his former rivals in G2 Esports. Much to the dismay of Fnatic fans across the globe. Those same fans did manage to show up for the broadcast though, as Fnatic was up to 60% on the winner fan vote before the match started.
After 8 weeks of league play, G2 had absolute control over the LEC with a 13-3 record and would remain unchallenged at the top of the standings regardless of Week 9 outcomes. But their opponents, and now bitter rivals, in Fnatic began the season in complete disarray, and entered the final week with a small chance of missing the playoffs altogether. Luckily for Rekkles and Fnatic fans, the dethroned kings of Europe also walked into the arena on Friday with an astounding 6 wins in their last 6 matches.
The Game
The drama of the match-up seeped into the champion select portion of the game and didn’t slow down for a single second until one of the team’s Nexus was destroyed.
“Match of the week? How about match of the flippin’ century” - Aaron ‘Medic’ Chamberlain, LEC Shoutcaster.
During the pick and ban phase, G2 elated fans by selecting Zed for their mid-laner Caps. Who, as we mentioned earlier, had a lot to prove heading into this crucial match-up against his former team. On the other side of the rift, Bwipo (the Fnatic top-laner) snatched up Gangplank, which is outside of the current meta and can play a strong carry role in the late game.
The actual match, however, started off boldly. Fnatic looked to make a huge statement out of the gate and took first blood off G2 Esports before going up 8-1 in kills within the first 15 minutes. Following that, every inch of this game was tense, and chock-full of epic displays of skill. In the end, G2 looked to be brewing a strong comeback, but a base-race in the dying moments capped off one of the most historic ends to any match we’ve ever seen in League of Legends Esports.
What Does It Mean?
As we speculated earlier this week, looking forward the final stretch of the LEC Spring Split, G2 wasn’t going to lose out on their playoff spot no matter the outcome of today’s heavyweight match-up. Fnatic, however, had their spot in the postseason tournament on the line. A win would guarantee the squad -- currently on a major upswing of victories-- a place in playoffs.
With two games ahead of them this weekend, a single win would secure playoff attendance for Fnatic. A loss today against G2 Esports would have seen them still fighting for their spot tomorrow, where they are scheduled to face the #2 seed in Splyce.
The kings of Europe, G2, had way more in terms of mind games on the table for today’s match. With their recent struggles (losing 2 of their last 3 head-to-head games) G2 came into today in desperate need of some confidence heading into the playoffs. No matter what happened, no one would unseed G2 Esports from the #1 position heading into the postseason. But, as the losses stack up in the final stages of regular season play, G2 risks an early exit from the tournament if they head into the competition looking as shaky as they have in recent weeks.
This story, for now, is over. With G2 Esports falling to Fnatic in dramatic fashion. Honestly, we wouldn’t expect anything less from this match-up. Fnatic has secured a spot in the Spring Split Playoffs, and G2 head into the tournament with their blood pumping, but have revealed they aren’t immortal.
Both teams still have one more match to play tomorrow, but today’s game won’t easily be forgotten.