At the beginning of the season, there were only a few League of Legends teams that were slated to be championship contenders—and two of them will be facing off in week five of the 2020 LEC Spring Split. Origen and Fnatic will be squaring off in this week’s match of the week, which is almost guaranteed to be explosive.
Origen have won three of their last four games, with their only loss over the past two weeks coming at the hands of the red-hot Misfits Gaming. Their last matches against MAD Lions and Excel Esports were convincing, but they’ll aim to continue their high level of play against the best teams in the region.
This roster hasn’t been able to take down G2 Esports and Misfits, two teams at the top of the standings. If they lose to Fnatic, this could ultimately mark them as the gatekeeper for teams vying to become true championship contenders. But luckily for Origen, they were victorious the last time they faced Fnatic.
Origen’s slow, controlled style of play can be seen from miles away and yet it’s so effective on stage. The team’s perfect macro and decision-making pave the way to good results. Origen love to snowball leads with reliable plays that aren’t too risky, and if their opponents don’t push back hard enough, there’s no stopping this powerhouse.
Fnatic, on the other hand, stumbled again in their match against the fiery young MAD Lions roster. Fans should be a bit worried, especially after the recent play of Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov. The 24-year-old support is usually reliable but has had a string of bad performances this split.
This team has shown signs of brilliance, but in games that truly matter, they’ve struggled to find success. Some of their players might need a bit more time to get out of this rut they’ve found themselves in. Conversely, Fnatic might just be falling behind the rookie renaissance that’s flourished this season.
You can watch all the action when the LEC returns on Friday, Feb. 21. Fnatic will play Origen at 1pm CT on Saturday, Feb. 22.