FNATIC
Fnatic, the best team in Europe—and perhaps the West as a whole– managed to make their way into the Finals by first getting out of Group D which was consisted of Invictus Gaming (China), 100 Thieves (North America), and G-Rex (Hong Kong). They finished their group with a 5-1 record, but that wasn’t enough to secure 1st place. IG was able to get the same record too; as a result, both teams played a one-round tiebreaker game. The winner of that round took sole possession of first place, which was Fnatic.
In the quarterfinals, they faced Edward Gaming (China) and defeated them handedly by three games to one. Despite dropping the first game, the Europeans recovered exuberantly by banishing their Chinese opponents to the abyss. Their string of positive play continued in the semifinals as they swept Cloud9 (North America) in three quick games to reach the Finals for the first time since 2011, when they won the first ever World Championship.
It has been a long time coming for them, as they had to go through bitter disappointment time and time again before returning to the spotlight where they thought they should have never left in the first place. After reaching the LoL summit, they bowed out in the semifinals twice (’13 & ’15) and the quarterfinals once (‘17). To add more pain into the mix, there was even a time where they failed to even qualify for Worlds (‘16).
Though it took a whole 7 years, their path to redemption has certainly been worth it. Moreover, when you look at their tournament results from this year prior to the start of Worlds, it was to be expected. Other than the Mid-Season Invitational where they finished in the semis, Fnatic won every other event they took part in, with 1st place going to them in the Summer EU LCS & Playoffs, the Spring EU LCS & Playoffs and the Rift Rivals 2018 NA-EU. This is a team that is en fuego, or “on fire” for those of you who don’t know Spanish.
Coupling all of that with what they’ve done this past month, they’re looking to complete their arduous journey to the top by hoisting the Summoner’s Cup in Incheon, South Korea this Saturday morning. Big players in this team include Caps, the MVP for the EU LCS Summer competition and a man known for his unexpected drafts in specific situations, and Rekkles, primarily seen as the best AD Carry player in Europe. And let’s not forget about Broxah, the man known for his spectacular play as Jungler and beautiful meme that has garnered fans throughout Fnatic’s run to the Finals.
thank mr broxah #Worlds2018 pic.twitter.com/3eUgtQABt7
— lolesports (@lolesports) October 13, 2018
