It's no secret that former League of Legends World Championship winners Fnatic have been counted out of late. But with their refreshed Summer roster, it seems that Europe's old guard have finally regained their footing. In a storming comeback, Fnatic battled their way through the Playoffs' lower bracket, taking down Team Vitality, Misfits Gaming, and G2 Esports in a watershed moment for the LEC, ending G2's era of dominance. After sweeping Rogue with a brilliant 3-0 in the semi-finals, it all came down to a battle of old versus new in the grand finals, with Fnatic facing off against the new kids on the block, MAD Lions.
While Fnatic didn't manage to get their hands on any silverware this season, their Playoffs run ended with them securing Europe's second seed at Worlds – a fantastic result for a team that seemed to be on the decline just a few months previously. Now, Fnatic are looking to the international stage as their chance to show the world that they are, once again, the best Europe has to offer.
**Summer Stormer**
"Well, Spring was pretty bad," admits Fnatic coach Jakob "YamatoCannon" Mebdi. "We made a lot of good adjustments for Summer. I'm happy we got to go through the gauntlet because the entire experience kind of lined up beautifully in terms of the experience that we lacked and the experience that we needed."
YamotoCannon embraces botlaner Upset at the LEC Playoffs.
Even the staunchest Fnatic fans have to admit that their Spring performance was lacklustre. Having lost star botlaner Martin "Rekkles" Larsson to rivals G2, Fnatic only managed a 9-9 result, landing them at fifth place overall. This disappointment prompted some mid-season changes to the lineup, including the surprising decision to shift Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau to the jungle, with rookie Adam "Adam" Maanane taking his place in the top lane. These moves proved to be for the best, as the team's improved performance in Summer paved the way for an absolute stormer in the Summer Playoffs.
"The highlight was definitely beating G2," says YamotoCannon. "It was just so perfect. In the off-season a lot of people were doubting, saying 'Yeah, Rekkles went to G2, and they're just gonna win automatically.' That's the beauty of the sport – there are so many intangible things that you can't account for. When we beat G2 it was almost poetic because there was so much build-up. It's a truly amazing memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
"That was a special moment for me," agrees Bwipo. "I was really confident we were going to win it. Even though I was falling behind, I knew that I had the tools to win the game."
When we beat G2 it was almost poetic because there was so much build-up. It's a truly amazing memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
-Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi
"Honestly, the whole Playoffs run was the highlight on its own," adds support Zdravets "Hylissang" Galabov. "It's hard to pick just one."
Ending their four-win streak with a loss to MAD Lions was undoubtedly frustrating for the team, but all four games in the series were hard-fought, and Fnatic's performance was commendable despite the result.
"I have mixed feelings about finishing second," says botlaner Elias "Upset" Lipp. "Compared to a regular season, we improved a lot and we had a good run through Playoffs. But of course, not winning the split after having such a great run always sucks."
**Worlds Domination**
With just a few short weeks to go until they jet off to Reykjavík, excitement and anticipation is building within the Fnatic camp. For the team's newest recruit, it's a chance to prove himself alongside some of esports' biggest talents.
"I'm really excited to face these amazing toplaners from all around the world," says 19-year-old Adam. "It's better for me that it's moved from China to Iceland. I want to see some volcanoes and stuff!"
Adam will make his Worlds debut in mere weeks.
For Fnatic's veterans, it's a chance to learn from their peers and discover new playstyles and tactics that have emerged in other regions.
"I'm coming to learn and improve first," says Bwipo. "I want to learn from the best in the world and my feeling is that I'm going to have to put in a lot of work to keep up with them!"
"I feel pretty confident going to Worlds," adds midlaner Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer. "I feel like we have much more to show, and myself individually, I think I can match well against other mids."
The Group Stage will see Fnatic go up against some challenging opponents – namely, Hong Kong's PSG Talon and China's Royal Never Give Up. While neither of these opponents will go down easy, they're nothing that the Europeans can't deal with.
"We have a lot of experience that we can implement in our games," says YamotoCannon. "I've been twice, but I've never made it out of Groups, so I've taken my fair share of beatings at the World Championship. The players we have come with a very high ceiling and the importance will be in the month ahead and how we use those practice hours."
And in order to make the most of those practice hours, Yamoto and the team will no doubt be casting their minds back not only to the season just gone, but Fnatic's previous Worlds campaigns.
Will we see Fnatic at the Worlds final this year?
"I remember watching Fnatic do super well in the Group Stage [last year]," says the coach, who took the helm at Fnatic last November. "They figured out how they wanted to draft and how they wanted to progress in the tournament. Some teams come into tournaments with a lot of band-aid solutions where they're trying to cover their weaknesses, and some teams get better throughout. In those moments, your endurance truly gets tested."
From the management team to the players themselves, it's clear that Fnatic have a winning attitude going into the tournament. Whether their campaign ends in glory or disappointment, they will no doubt come away with some valuable lessons learned and some unforgettable memories.
"I keep telling the boys that everyone else is just NPCs on our journey to what we want to achieve," says YamatoCannon in closing. "And our aim is to win the World Championship. If you aim at nothing, you hit nothing, right? I stole that from a recent Marvel movie. Good quote!"
