Fnatic did it again. It seems as though the moment you count Fnatic out, they surprise everyone. This is a team that thrives as the underdog, and they proved it again today with 3-2 victory over H2K, earning them 3rd place, and securing 50 Championship Points. The team with the highest amount of championship points at the end of the year auto-qualifies for Worlds.
Fnatic Hometown Advantage
The series started out picture perfect for team Fnatic. Febiven’s Azir came out exactly as strong as you would expect it to. The best mid laner in Europe put on a show in front of his home crowd with a handful of Shurima Shuffle initiates and the high end DPS you expect from Azir.
Fnatic jungler Spirit showed up big in every game of the 5 game series on Graves. Spirit seriously crippled H2K jungler Jankos in multiple games by invading his jungle after clearing only a single camp of his own. In the final game of the series Spirit was up 20CS and a kill before the 10 minute mark.
H2K Unable to Perform in Playoffs
H2K looked like a different team compared to the macro oriented, low risk high reward playing H2K we saw all through the regular season. Again, the final game of the series gave us a perfect example of this. H2K lost the game by charging up mid lane trying to force a fight with the retreating Fnatic team. The opportunity might have been there, but the positioning was not. Jankos (Kindred) was positioned away from the rest of his team and was unable to use Lamb’s Respite (R) to prevent H2K’s squishy backline from dying.
The pressure of playing in front of 5,000 people in Rotterdam as the visiting team may have got to H2K. Jankos, considered a top European jungler, didn’t have nearly the impact H2K has come to expect from him. Ryu, the shot calling mid laner known for his consistent play, was caught playing too aggressive multiple times. Spirit successfully ganked Ryu multiple times because the H2K mid laner held his flash for too long.
Deilor Does it Again
As usual, much credit is owed to Fnatic’s coach, Deilor. This is another Fnatic roster nobody had any expectations for. After losing longtime veteran support YellowStar, and the dynamic duo of Korean playmakers ReignOver & Huni, Fnatic was left to rebuild their roster yet again. Entering the season with Gamsu, Spirit, and Noxiak as replacements there was no question the 2016 Fnatic would be weaker than the 2015 Fnatic, who made it to semi-finals at Worlds. Even still, Fnatic made a deep run in the EU LCS Spring playoffs, as well as a 2nd place finish at IEM Katowice.
Forg1ven’s Last Game?
I am out of solutions personally i feel like i did everything i could as forg1ven but to no avail. Better ad wins gg fnatic peace out!
— FORG1VEN (@FORG1VENGRE) April 16, 2016
Was this the last time we see Forg1ven play competitive League of Legends? Earlier this season Forg1ven revealed he received notice that he would have to return to Greece to serve mandatory military service. The H2K ADC was able to defer his service for a short period of time, enabling him to finish the split and stay with the team for playoffs, but he likely won’t be back for the summer split. No matter what your personal opinion is on the passionate AD carry, there’s no denying he was one of the most mechanical Western players to play the game.