For the second time during the 2022 LEC Spring Split playoffs, fans will be treated to a best-of-five series between Fnatic and G2 Esports.
The last time the two teams met was in the first round of the upper bracket, where Fnatic took home a decisive 3-1 victory. Since then, G2 has ramped up in the lower bracket by taking out Vitality and Misfits Gaming without dropping a single game.
This sets up a series that should be among the best rematches of the year, as G2 will be coming in hot and looking for revenge against Fnatic. The winner of the match will qualify for the grand final where Rogue is currently waiting after reverse sweeping Fnatic last week. This puts Fnatic in a rough spot, potentially entering this match with some frustration and open for G2 to pull off an upset.
In this rematch, both teams will be relying a lot on preparation. After already facing once in this playoff, it will all be a matter of who can adapt from the last series where Fnatic came out on top. After winning the last match, Fnatic already knows what it takes to beat G2 but will likely still have to elevate its play to do so again.
G2 on the other hand will have many of their own mistakes to look at and try to fix. This has already seemed to happen in the series against Vitality and Misfits, so now it’s time for the players to keep it up and do it against the team that seemed like the strongest side in Europe going into this playoff.
Supports can be the key to victory for Fnatic and G2
One of the key matchups on the map is looking to be at the support position. For Fnatic, support Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov is usually the player to set up fights and make the magic happen. Fans often make jokes about Hylissang being a coin-flip player, and there might be some truth to that.
If Hylissang shows up and plays his best in this match, then it seems like a tough battle for G2. If he doesn’t, then it suddenly leaves a lot of room for G2 to exploit. This was proven out by Rogue in its reverse sweep against Fnatic last week.
It’s obvious that G2’s young support Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé will have to play at a high level. The rookie support has luckily been very hot in the last two best-of-five’s for G2, letting him enter this match against one of Europe’s greatest with a lot of confidence in the bag.
Whoever comes out on top in the support position will likely be able to take a big advantage for his team. Most eyes will be on Hylissang, who can win games on his own but can also lose them.
Fnatic vs. G2 Esports rosters
Fnatic roster:
- Top – Martin “Wunder” Hansen
- Jungle – Iván “Razork” Díaz
- Mid – Marek “Humanoid” Brázda
- Bot – Elias “Upset” Lipp
- Support – Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov
G2 Esports roster:
- Top – Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik
- Jungle – Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski
- Mid – Rasmus “caPs” Winther
- Bot – Victor “Flakked” Lirola
- Support – Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé
G2 faces Fnatic with a solid chance to find an upset
Because Fnatic already beat G2 in this playoff, the team will be the betting favorite entering this match. This is both expected and deserved, as Fnatic has a favorable head-to-head record versus G2. With that said, the recent results for both G2 and Fnatic leave this match in a prime spot for an upset. G2 has improved a lot since the two teams met the last time and will enter this match with six straight wins to boost their confidence. Based on the odds, there is room to gamble a bit in this match and try to score some value on going with the underdog in G2.
A win for Fnatic sits at odds of 1.53 while G2 running with the victory will grant odds of 2.35. Because of the difference in momentum and the disparate odds on the two teams, we might take our chances and go with G2 to pull out a close win.
The lower-bracket final between Fnatic and G2 Esports will go down on Saturday, April 9.
