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If there’s one thing that teams in the LEC are known for, it’s their ability to defy any and all expectations in crucial moments. Fnatic did just that on the second day of the group stage at the 2022 League of Legends World Championship, running through a team many are expecting to lift the Summoner’s Cup once more.
Fnatic have advanced to the top of group A in a shockingly dominant victory over the LCK’s T1, marking yet another chapter in their Worlds story since qualifying from the play-ins stage. From beginning to end, T1 could not match the tempo of their opponents from the LEC, having misplaced the communication across the map that has led to one of the successful years in the history of the organization.
Two of the best bot lanes in the world
Fnatic’s bot lane pair, Upset and Hyllisang, locked in Lucian and Nami almost immediately, despite the combination having been nerfed heavily. Because of these nerfs, the Fnatic bot lane have refrained from locking in these two champions together for the entirety of their Worlds run thus far—yet with only so many options left after the ban phase, they locked in the pair almost without hesitation.
An early misstep from T1’s jungler, Oner, provided the Fnatic bot lane with a sizable lead, but that alone would not be enough to deter the duo of Gumayusi and Keria, who together helped to bring T1 one of their most successful years in history. Gumayusi expending crucial abilities was the signal for the Fnatic duo to dive straight into him, quickly amassing more deaths as the LEC representatives focused heavily on this side of the map.
The massive lead that Upset had secured over his lane opponent made it dangerous for the T1 bot lane to even think about stepping up to him. With Razork at the helm stopping enemies from accessing Upset in the back line, the ADC was free to melt his enemies with ease, even using his mobility to dangerously dive into enemies and secure kills, rather than back away.
Upset and Hyllisang walked away from this decisive victory with not only a combined 8/3/25 KDA, but the satisfaction in knowing they had thrown off the momentum of the three-time world champions in their first defeat of Worlds 2022.
The LEC is here to win
Following this victory for Fnatic, each LEC representative at this year’s Worlds have emerged victorious in their day two matches, giving the region a headstart in three of the four groups.
For Fnatic in particular, the road to this point has been anything but smooth. Between a rough Summer Split that almost removed the organization from Worlds contention for the first time in its history, to having to first qualify for groups through one of the most competitive play-ins stages in recent history and experiencing major set-backs from COVID pre-Worlds, the LEC’s third seed needed to overcome mounds of obstacles to get to this point.
Razork, who is making his debut at Worlds this year, proved to be one of the most defining factors in Fnatic’s win today after tracking Oner around the map for nearly the entire game. Though most of the kills landed in the hands of Upset, it was Razork that enabled his veteran ADC to become the powerhouse that he would end up being almost as soon as the laning phase ended.
In the post-game interview with Sjokz, Upset acknowledged that this snowball through the bot lane was only possible through Razork, helping the bot lane pair to advance out of a “close” laning phase.
While at the top of group A for now, Fnatic have yet to play against the reigning world champions: the LPL’s EDG. They’ll have the chance to do so tomorrow to end the first weekend of the Worlds 2022 group stage.
Published: Oct 8, 2022 08:13 pm