G2 join massive second-place tie, eye Playoffs spot after defeating Fnatic in 2022 LEC Summer Split

The reigning champions can taste that coveted Playoffs spot—maybe even a bye.
Photo via Michal Konkol/Riot Games via Flickr

For nearly every team in the LEC, these last few games are crucial to whether or not Playoffs are a possibility in their immediate futures. Even for teams like G2 Esports, who have controlled the standings for a large portion of the split, a Playoffs spot has not yet been secured, making each further win they accrue crucial.

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Luckily for G2 fans, a run for two Playoff victories in one year is still possible.

G2, the reigning champions of the LEC, are continuing to make up for their losses in the first half of the 2022 Summer Split with yet another commanding win—this time over their long-time rivals in Fnatic.

Interestingly, Hylissang opted not to bring Flash on Rakan, instead bringing Exhaust and Ignite while relying on nearby teammates to assist his mobility. This choice resulted in multiple failed attempts from Fnatic to engage on G2’s bot lane, thus allowing Flakked’s Draven to cash out on his passive and increase his potential for massive burst damage.

This lack of engage made it increasingly difficult for Fnatic to bounce back from their shaky gameplay. Each time they stepped up, G2 was ready and willing to answer—and if Fnatic was too far forward, G2 would make sure to answer accordingly, even if not super clean. Jankos served as the initiator in many of these mid-game fights as Pantheon, jumping into piles of enemies knowing that if he could bait ultimates, the rest of his team could power through.

Further mismatched engages from Fnatic handed even more kills over to G2 with barely any room to come back, putting all of their efforts into one final coordinated teamfight. Razork, attempting to finish a Baron that G2 had backed off of, unsuccessfully used all of his abilities on the objective just to limp away, resulting in another loss for the team while simultaneously locking MAD Lions into the Summer Playoffs.

This victory brings about an interesting situation for the top of the LEC standings: a four-way tie for second place. Misfits, Team Vitality, and Rogue each share this spot with 9-6 records, hoping to exit this tie with a sole hold on the position—all having a substantial chance of qualifying for Playoffs regardless. Yet behind them lay four other teams that remain in Playoffs contention, three in a tie for sixth, all of which have the potential to shake the standings further.

G2 will begin their final weekend of the 2022 Summer Split against MAD Lions, the only team to qualify for the Summer Playoffs thus far. Defeating them will ensure qualification for the reigning champions in the Playoffs, though the performance of themselves and other teams may affect where they enter.

Fnatic will need to rely on multiple wins and even potential tiebreakers to ensure their entrance to Playoffs—in which missing it would be the first time Fnatic does not qualify for Playoffs in the organization’s history.


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Ethan Garcia
Ethan Garcia is a freelance writer for Dot Esports, having been part of the company for three years. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Magazine Journalism from Syracuse University and specializes particularly in coverage of League of Legends, various Nintendo IPs, and beyond.