Sometimes, you gotta bring back the classics. And in today’s match against G2 Esports, Fnatic’s veteran leader and support Hylissang brought out his patented Pyke support and helped his team steamroll through their eternal rivals to finish off the sixth week of the 2022 LEC Spring Split.
Fnatic were looking for some redemption following their improbable defeat at the hands of Astralis, who are currently in last place in the league. They were outdrafted in that match, and as a result, needed some comfort to return back to normalcy—and the win column.
Along with Hylissang’s Pyke, Fnatic grabbed up a heavy engage composition. Camille and Diana spearheaded the offense, while Twisted Fate provided global pressure and a guaranteed stun and Jinx stood back as the late-game insurance. G2, on the other hand, had a more balanced teamfighting lineup, but their issue was that they couldn’t stop the snowball once Fnatic began to get aggressive.
Whether it was Hylissang pulling a carry out of position, Razork jumping in with Diana’s ultimate, or Humanoid catching someone off-guard with Twisted Fate’s stun card, Fnatic were way more proactive than their opponents. From the early moments of the match, they were finding picks and skirmishes that would usually end in their favor. This continued to blossom forward, and G2 were too behind to do anything about it.
The G2–Fnatic rivalry has changed drastically over the past few seasons, with multiple long-time members, like Rekkles and Perkz, leaving. Even still, these two legacy organizations still have plenty of fire in their hearts whenever they take the stage together, and it can even be seen with the new players that joined this past offseason. For example, Wunder voiced his opinion on the current G2–Fnatic rivalry, saying that he wasn’t really invested in the matchup in the past, but now he has an extra reason to care besides winning.
“My part in the rivalry was winning for Caps, or winning for whoever left the team and joined [G2],” The talented top laner said in a post-game interview. “Now, I’m kind of in that position, so now I want to win against my old team, and I want to win against my old teammates… I’m not the guy having to win for my teammates, rather I have to win for my own sake.”
The competition is still extremely close in Europe, with multiple teams separated by only one game in the regular season standings. Fnatic are now tied with Misfits Gaming for second place, while G2 sit a game behind them at an 8-5 record after their first weekend with back-to-back losses.
Neither team should get comfortable, though. With squads like Excel Esports, Team Vitality, and MAD Lions still jockeying for position, Fnatic and G2 need to maintain this pace so they don’t get caught by the wolves snapping at their feet. Catch week seven of the 2022 LEC Spring Split when the games continue on Friday, Feb. 25.
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