Fnatic stepped up in this week’s round-robin, beating G2 Esports in the LEC Summer Split Bo1 stage.
Fnatic has had an impressive run in this year’s summer split. The tournament is currently in its best-of-one (or ‘Bo1’) stage, and for two weeks, Oscarinin and co. they have never lost a single game. Although they haven’t gone up against G2 or BDS thus far, this win bodes well for upcoming tournaments.
Follow our Fnatic Summer Season guide to see how the black and orange team has progressed, and how they’ll earn another ticket to the season’s biggest event.
How Fnatic Went 5-0 in the Summer LEC
Smart Team Formation
Fnatic fielded confident champions while the rest of the LEC played with experimental skills. The decisions you make in the draft determine whether you win or lose the game. And in Fnatic’s case, they made safe choices while simultaneously pressuring the strongest players on each opposing team.
While GIANTX plays AP Varus in the middle, Razork focuses on countering their powerful synergy champion Ivern. Humanoid has also come up with unexpected picks that rotate between utility champs and dangerous carries.
stop counting pic.twitter.com/AzznqlHpB0
– FNATIC (@FNATIC) June 16, 2024
Their ability to adapt to the enemy also shows; a quality that was not polished until the latter part of 2023. We saw this last week when RGE Markoon hoped to emulate Canyon’s Nidalee. In response, Fnatic’s Jungler Yoon “Jun” Se-jun quickly buried his early game potential by helping their botlaner pick.
Jun’s pivot to the laning phase changed the situation and stole control of the early Rogue game. And it paid off when Fnatic won, no doubt a lesson learned from spending months on the rampage.
Despite their behavior, Oscarinin and his team can still focus on one enemy in the champ selection to win. Last weekend, we saw all of Fnatic respond with three picks against Larssen’s Azir, the pick that won them their most recent Bo1.
Noah’s reign of Botlane
Botlane volatility is currently a staple of the global meta. And Fnatic’s looks deadlier than ever. This is due to Oh “Noah” Hyeon-taek, who has been the young man to beat in their current lineup.
Despite the limited champion pool, the Korean ADC plays against them to a negative effect while staying immortal for most of the game. They may not play the best players, but with Jun behind, the duo has the potential to take Fnatic far in the domestic league.
FNC Noah Summer Split KDA
- FNC vs SK: 5/1/8
- FNC vs RGE: 9/0/3
- FNC vs VIT: 3/0/9
- FNC vs GX: 9/2/5
- FNC vs KC: 5/1/4
Historically, eyes have been on Humanoid or veteran player Rekkles when Fnatic has been involved. But with the enemy’s focus now split between “Uma” and Noah, Fnatic will have the best overall playability.
Fnatic’s Cross-Map Pressure
Fnatic’s resurgent team is bolstered by their Jungler and Toplaner working together to protect Noah. This, combined with a number of camp Champs Humanoid and co. games make them a formidable team.
Fnatic’s Jungler also did not stop fighting SK Gaming. Despite Razork’s results, his Xin Zhao came in and out of the last 3v3, reeling in and giving Humanoid Hwei enough time to repair his damage and decide the game.
Oscar “Oscarinin” Jimenez has slowly moved away from K’Sante to focus on teaming up with champions like Ornn and Zac. This new approach makes him more versatile in the Rift while also doing better in objective battles. That said, his expertise on Aatrox and Olaf is still there. So Fnatic’s opponents will be left guessing until the team’s first loss of the summer.
Final thoughts
Fnatic’s botlane duo is their biggest strength. But even if they’re weak, their midlane-jungler combination suggests slack in more ways than one. All in all, the Spanish team knows how to win. And if they continue to put an iron wall around their ADC scaling, it’s going to take world-class talent to take them down.
While their macroplay paled in comparison to their Spring performance, Fnatic certainly dominated the LEC this split. They have maintained their momentum for two straight weeks. And even though they almost lost their two games, there is still time to make a few adjustments before they start competing against the poster boys of the LEC.
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