Photo: LoL Esports
The Worlds of League of Legends will begin in a few days and we can feel that the tension is rising within the community. Predictions and Tier Lists are popping up everywhere and everyone has their own commentary. Overall, only two regions impress: the China (LPL) and the Korea (LCK).
But if the two Asian ogres have the favor of bettors, this is not a reason to underestimate the other competitors. On our side, we will obviously pay close attention to the performance of our teams. LEC. Among them, Fnatic will try to restore its image. Deprived of a title since 2018 and more often on the front of the stage because of the drama than thanks to its results, this historic structure will have a lot to prove this year.
Fnatic, still everything to prove
fnatic and the Worlds, it is above all a great love story. The structure has indeed won the first edition (2011) and it is the one that displays the most participations on the counter (10). Fans also surely remember the fantastic epic of 2018, which brought the team to the grand final… But this sweet memory fades a little more each year. Time passes and since this golden season, fans of the structure have been on a diet. Fnatic won no more titles and new kings of Europe took their place. Beyond the results, the organization has also seen its popularity rating skyrocket, due to repeated dramas and questionable managerial choices. When you look at the team today, it’s hard to realize that we are talking about a historical monument.
This year, Fnatic has however decided to dust off its workforce by forming a superteam and recruiting three new elements: Wunder, Razork and Humanoid. The best Western botlane of the year 2021 has been retained (Upset/Hyllisang) and on paper, the roster was scary. But the matches followed one after the other and we were a little unsatisfied. Obviously, the results were not as catastrophic as the other announced European superteam (Vitality), but the qualification for the Worlds was infinitely complicated. Several players were not at the expected level. Wunder is able to disappear from the map, Razork has good glowup but can still give in to pressure, Humanoid plays too much of a hobbyist, Upset doesn’t always manage to weigh in the balance and Hyllisang seems poorly adapted to the current metagame. But the collective remains theoretically cut out for international competitions and it is now that we must show it and silence the detractors.
Team strengths and weaknesses
It is quite complicated to decide on the strengths and the weaknesses of Fnatic, because we were particularly marked by the irregularity of the team this year. Players are capable of the best and the worst. Unrecognizable for much of the summer and unable to play at a decent level, they woke up during the last superweek. While they started a comeback that revived hope, the players were under no illusions against Rogue in the playoff semi-finals. Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hydewho will we see at the Worlds?
Once this is said, it’s no secret and Upset carries a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Despite the dramas, the botlaner remains the main strike force of his team. The other day to watch is the jungler Razork. A little too green in the spring, it showed great breadth during the summer. It breaks our hearts a little, but the level ofHyllisang worries us a bit. His champion pool is often criticized and the meta-enchanter does not seem comfortable to him at all. And the problem is that when the Fnatic botlane is not accelerated, the team does not achieve much…
What ambitions for Fnatic?
fnatic absolutely must qualify for the Main Event. Placed in pool A at the Play-In, the team inherited a very favorable draw. We will therefore look at the result, but also the way. With its standing, the structure must ensure while reassuring the fans. A first place, directly qualifying for the main draw, is the objective to be achieved.
Then, the team risks ending up in pool A, with Cloud9, T1 and EDG. This hen will speak to the oldest with organizations that are all used to playing the Worlds. Such a pool will not be easy to negotiate, but Fnatic should have a say. It would be necessary to do better than in 2021 (a single victory) and a qualification for the quarters maybe expected.
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neL, the 1PV journalist dropped a bomb in the night… While Ocelote’s evening with the Tate brothers caused a huge drama on the networks, more or less serious consequences for the structure could be foreseen. The sentence has fallen and Carlos can bite his fingers!