Reaching for #1 — Week 3
3 July — by League Analyst
Wunder was the big hero in the final match of week three in the LEC. The battle against G2 Esports is a known classic and for Fnatic, it was a chance to pass the Spring champions in the standings, also securing the top spot together with Excel and Rouge.
Despite Fnatic looking shaky up until this point, G2 didn’t stand much of a chance against their long time rivals. Wunder on Ornn and Razork on Viego, those were the ingredients needed to silence the doubters and close out week 3 with a 2–0 score.
Even with a top spot secured, it hasn’t been a clear path in the first third of the Summer split. Split teamfights, overaggressive plays and questionable drafts are some of the issues that have plagued the roster. The team have looked stressed in their games, and the dynamic and free flowing gameplay that should be possible with the individual skill of this team have been lacking.
Fnatic’s game versus G2 was the clear exception to this trend. For the first time in a long time, the team could control the game without Upset or Humanoid in a central role. Instead, they put their focus elsewhere and played a calm and controlled game. It didn’t feel forced, and the game was allowed to flow at a relatively slow pace. Around the big objective timers, the big carries showed up and Fnatic closed out in a rather undramatic fashion.
If the team can repeat these types of performances, they would undeniably be a contender for the trophy. That being said, it’s only one regular season game. We can’t forget the mess that was week two, where the same roster almost crumbled completely.
MAD and BDS fought hard, and I would argue that Fnatic is lucky to have come out of that week with a 1–1 score. Stability is the name of the game. So far it has been “good enough”, but much more is needed in the weeks to come.
For the rest of the teams in the league, most results are shaking up in a rather expected fashion. The usual contenders are hovering around the top half of the standings, and the skill difference between the top- and bottom tier teams are very notable. The clear standout so far has been Excel, improving even more after making playoffs for the first time ever in Spring. The addition of Mikyx seems to have brought a lot of leadership to the team, and with the rest of the players leveling up their game considerably, they might just be able to challenge the top teams this split.
Next week the LEC is taking a break, so we’ll have to wait quite a while before we get more games. It is a chance for all 10 teams to get some extra practice time and find their style as we head into the most important period of the competitive year. The next Fnatic summary will be back for week 6, but look out for a some other content next weekend.
If you found this breakdown interesting, follow me (League Analyst) on Medium and 👏this article. Thank you all for reading!
