In what is rapidly becoming the El Clásico of European League of Legends, G2 and Fnatic have locked their places in the LEC playoff semifinals for the Summer 2020 split. G2 beat Mad Lions 3-1 on Friday while Fnatic clean swept Rogue 3-0, in their respective best of 5 semi finals.
The last time a team not named Fnatic or G2 won the LEC playoff finals was way back in 2014. That year the much-touted super team Alliance beat Fnatic 3-0 in the Summer finals. However, Alliance went on to go out in the group stage at Worlds after a famous loss to Brazilian team Kabum! Esports.
The two EU powerhouses of FNC and G2 will face off again this coming weekend. Both teams now know they have qualified for the upcoming 2020 World Championship, however a spot in the playoff final is now on the line.
G2 and Fnatic have played each other three times before in playoffs. G2 currently leads 2-1 in best of 3 on that front. If either team loses, they’ll get another chance in the losers bracket, which means a 4th G2 and Fnatic final is definitely still on the cards.
Congratulations to @FNATIC on qualifying for the 2020 World Championship! #Worlds2020 pic.twitter.com/3gsjBRNxCm
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) August 23, 2020
Fnatic’s LEC Playoff Buff
This year, LEC fans saw somewhat of a shakeup in the established hierarchy. Rookie teams Rogue and Mad Lions took number 1 and 2 spot in the Summer split respectively. However, both were swept aside by their more established opposition in the first playoff round.
Fnatic in particular have had a difficult Summer split. A shaky 9-9 win-loss record included 3 losses in a row over weeks 7 and 8. However, they rallied in the very last moment to grab a playoff spot. This weekend’s win against Rogue means a semi final against G2 and a secured World Championship spot for 2020 too.
This will be bot lane player Martin “Rekkles” Larrson’s sixth World Championship appearance. He is now tied with former Fnatic toplaner Paul “Soaz” Bawyer and Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen of Team Liquid, as the European player with the most world’s appearances.
However, it was Fnatic mid-laner Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek and jungler Oskar “Selfmade” Boderek who really popped off in Fnatic’s games against Rogue.
Nemesis’ stats across the season were relatively poor compared to his opposing midlaner Emile “Larsen” Larsson. However, Nemesis’ pocket Lucian pick (not very meta right now) seemed to work for him in this best of 3. In combination with Selfmade’s stellar and aggresive Evelyn play from the jungle, Fnatic were able to quickly take down the Summer Split first-placed Rogue squad.
The LEC playoffs continue next weekend as MAD Lions play Schalke for the final World’s 2020 spot from EU. G2 and Fnatic will play on Friday, with the winner heading straight into the playoff finals. The loser of that game will play the winner of Schalke and MAD, for the second final spot.
Published: Aug 24, 2020 09:55 am