Nightmares. We’ve all had them. To varying degrees at which they inflict terror upon different individuals presents a confounding amount of combinations at which you or I could writhe in sheer terror.

But sometimes nightmares are not just that monster chasing you down that street; or that falling dream we all have.

Sometimes, nightmares are the memories that are too good to be true.

A scenario, a fantasy, so saccharinely sweet, so…unrealistic. It twists this proverbial dagger deeper and deeper in the heart, knowing that it will never happen. I see the visages and memories, a carousel of smiles and emotions…an impossible future. I reach out, grasping smoke as my words turn to ash.

The shackles of the dreamworld open: I awaken petrified.

I’m not a person who easily ‘feels’, unless said experience is incredibly intense or visceral (such as said nightmares). But here is me, a mere person of little accomplishment, terrified at what to others will seem laughably harmless. Those who strive for things we deem near impossible, and those who fail yet try again and again…what do they dream of?

For two whole splits, players from across the globe grind endlessly towards a united goal of even having the chance to touch the shores of the World Championship. The Mid-Season Invitational is a prestigious event, one everyone recognises as a hallmark of success. But few would argue that it is directly comparable to the grandeur, the spectacle and the esteemed honour of playing on the Worlds stage. And to win it…that is the dream.

And FunPlus Phoenix now too, are one dream away.

The game that propelled FPX to the finals

FPX were not supposed to be here. The first seed of the LPL at Worlds is supposed to be the poisoned chalice, memories of 2015 and especially EDG still linger painfully for the LPL faithful. After struggling in what was perceived as the easiest group, they were supposed to be slain by the resurgent Fnatic, many believing lady luck only shows her favour once.

That didn’t happen.

Against fellow compatriots Invictus Gaming, they were supposed to be crushed mercilessly under the heels of top lane tyrant Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok.

That didn’t happen either.

Step by step, dream by dream, they’ve overturned and exceed every expectation people have attributed to them. The loud voices of those trying to force the “2015 LGD” narrative have finally been silenced.

It would be sheer understatement to say that I felt relieved when FPX ran through Fnatic and IG.

FPX are no strangers to adversity. For those who only heard of them because of their appearance at Worlds, the Phoenix Kings struggled in 2018. FPX first debuted in the 2017 Winter Demacia Cup before entering the franchised 2018 LPL, taking Newbee’s spot and their bottom lane of Lin “LWX” Wei-Xiang and Liu “Crisp” Qing-Song. For the whole of 2018 they were known as an incredibly volatile team, able to take games of some of the top contenders only to completely drop the ball the next few games. In all honesty, I hated watching their matches for whenever I participated in predictions, FPX would always, always find a way to screw my expectations up. Seeing that big red X every time made me livid to no end. And yet for all their inconsistency, in Spring they almost made the playoffs after signing former OMG/Newbee midlane superstar Cool and in Summer, they narrowly made it only to meet JDG and fell 3–1.