Fnatic: The Best Team in LCS History
The title says it all. Fnatic stands atop the European League of Legends Championship Series at a towering 14-0 record. Their current win streak is the longest ever regular season streak in the LCS, with Cloud 9 topping out at 13 consecutive wins (18 counting playoffs).
The scary thing is Fnatic have the the capacity to surpass even that. Their most recent week was the most grueling ordeal they faced all summer, having to throw down with H2k-Gaming and Origen, the number 2 and 3 seeds. Despite falling heavily in the early game, first to H2k’s brilliant level 1 strategies, and then to Origen’s unrelenting aggression, Fnatic managed to turn both games around AND close them out in convincing fashion despite being 5k gold down at some point.
I highly recommend you watch the Fnatic vs Origen match, and if you already have, watch it again. It has all the elements of an instant classic and is a shoo-in for LCS match of the split.
This means that Fnatic has already surpassed their closest rivals in the regular season. Their remaining schedule of Team Roccat, Elements, SK Gaming and Unicorns of Love now look like throwaway matches compared to what they had lined up for week 7. Barring any miracle performances by any of the four teams, or a wild bout of experimentation from Fnatic, a perfect regular season is almost certainly in the bag. And it’s not like Fnatic will slow down come playoff time either.
But why is Fnatic leaps and bounds above all the teams in Europe? What allowed them to achieve this unparalleled level of success? Let’s start with the man on the banner image for this article.
The Genius of YellOwStaR
Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim is one of the most decorated players in all of Western LOL. Ever since joining Fnatic at the start of 2013, first as an AD Carry and then switching to support to pave the way for Martin “Rekkles” Larsen, he’s gone on to win 4 out of 5 LCS titles. He’s the only player to hold this distinction, and he accomplished this on the back of one of the most impressive feats in competitive LOL.
YellOwStaR didn’t just refine his mind and his play. He also trained his body to go from this…
Yellow rebuilt Fnatic from the ground up after all his veteran team members parted ways. While some headed to rival teams or to form their own team, Yellow stayed behind to mold a group of rookies into champions. Nobody expected Fnatic to reclaim their former glory without most of their big name players, but under Yellow’s leadership, Fnatic struck LCS gold again.
Not only that, but the team is looking better than ever. This neo-Fnatic squad managed to take World Championship team SK Telecom to 5 games at the Mid-Season Invitational with stellar play. With the re-introduction of Rekkles on the roster, Yellow has continued to build on the synergy he had with his old partner.
In game, Yellow’s vision control is unparalleled. He knows when to deep ward, clear out enemy wards and swap zones of sight based on which objectives to take. When his team needs engage, he whips out the Alistar, with a record of 2/4/56 so far. Disengage is also up Yellow’s alley, with his most played champion this split being Janna at a whopping 1/5/80 scoreline.
… to this. Now that’s dedication.
Those low death numbers you’re seeing aren’t flukes. In the 14 wins they’ve accrued, Yellowstar has only died 14 times—that’s right, an average of once per game. This is due to the trust his team has in the calls he makes, as many Fnatic members have commented on his ability to get them out of sticky situations by seizing a miniscule window of opportunity at the drop of a hat.
YellOwStaR is the perfect support: cerebral, mechanically gifted, calm and collected, and on top of that a world class shot caller. Fnatic has the perfect package acting as team captain, but they wouldn’t be #1 if they just had a stellar bot lane.
The Korean Meme Machine
Last split, Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon made a huge splash by becoming the biggest carry top laner in the west. He was tied for most kills among top laners and had nearly 40 more assists than any other top laner in EU and NA. It also helps that he’s insanely popular with the fans due to his hilarious mannerisms during pre-game chat.
While his exploits on Lissandra and Rumble earned him the Outstanding Rookie award for spring, Huni has now adapted to the metagame, playing a more muted and team-focused style with the likes of Lulu and Gnar, a champion he couldn’t play at full capacity just one split ago.
He can still bust out a carry champion such as Hecarim or Ryze, but the fact that Huni has diversified means he’s much harder to ban out now, and can still pile on the damage for his team despite not getting as many resources.
Another factor in Huni’s success is his synergy with Kim “Reignover” Ui-jin. The best buds from Korea have executed masterful ganks and dives on enemy top laners for the better part of this year. Reignover is also the language bridge between Huni and the rest of the team, which eliminates most of the communication issues that plague Korean imports.
A lovable personality belying a stone-faced killer whose energy for the game trickles down to his entire team, look for Huni to lead the charge with his Equalizers and Gnars to keep Fnatic on top.
The Silent Sniper
With such a pedigreed bot lane and a hugely popular top laner, many forget the quiet man in the middle lane that is Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten. The quietest in voice chat, often telling Huni to dial it back, the lack of attention afforded to Febiven is actually what makes him most deadly.
Febiven is dubbed the “European Sniper” because of his precision in finishing opponents off. Last split it was on the likes of Xerath, getting a double kill from screens away with his ultimate. At the Mid-Season Invitational, Febiven solo killed Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, the god among men himself, with clutch max range shurikens from Zed.
While Huni is drawing fire in the top lane and while Reignover is either aiding in Huni’s chaos or fending off bot lane attacks while Rekkles gets his farm, Febiven is quietly getting his items in order to delete opponents. It’s his ability to be the least noticed member of his team that makes his assassinations so beautiful.
This split he’s made a name for himself raining down Shock Blasts and Death Rays on unsuspecting opponents. His combined record on Jayce and Viktor is 48/9/43. How’s that for precise?
Febiven is quickly building his case for the best mid in the west. His mechanical level can already said to be approaching or on par with the Bjergsens and the Froggens of the world. With more experience and titles under his belt, who knows how high he could fly?
Who can stop them now?
As if Fnatic were singing that Queen song at the top of their lungs, it doesn’t look like anything can stop them at this point. They could just stay on their game to try and lock out the perfect 18-0 season, but they could also look forward to the World Championships by pulling out experimental picks and strategies.
One thing’s for sure: Fnatic are poised to take their 5th LCS title in the most dominating fashion, and unless another team has something to say within 2 weeks’ time, Fnatic legend as the greatest team to ever grace the Western League of Legends scene will only continue to grow.
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