After falling into a disappointing 0-2 hole to start the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational, Fnatic has quickly bounced back, winning 3 of their last 4 games. And although much of the team’s success has been credited to the incredible performance of mid laner Rasmus “Caps” Winther, Fnatic is also finding major contributions from the jungle position, as well.

A longtime veteran in the Fnatic organization, jungler Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen has quickly blossomed into a key centerpiece for the roster, as his contributions on the international stage have been enormous. Through the first three days of MSI, Broxah ranks 2nd in KDA among all junglers, as he’s posted a mark of 7.3 through 6 games. Additionally, he leads all eligible junglers at the tournament in GD@15 and FB%, further establishing the fact that Broxah’s early game presence has been a key factor when it comes to Fnatic’s success.

One of the major reasons for Broxah’s accomplishments at MSI has been his utilization of Trundle, a champion that has dominated the jungle meta at the tournament so far. Through his first six games, Broxah has selected Trundle a total of 4 times, while posting an even record of 2-2 and a whopping KDA of 16.0 on the champion. In comparison to the other frequent Trundle players at MSI, Jake “Xmithie” Puchero and Kim “Moojin” Moo-jin, Broxah holds a higher DMG%, GD@15, and FB% when playing the Troll King.

Most impressively, whenever Trundle is in Broxah’s hands, he finds a way to stay alive and make his time on the map as efficient as possible. In comparison to his 32 total kills and assists, Broxah has only died twice on Trundle, with both occasions occurring during Fnatic’s Day 3 matchup with Royal Never Give Up. If Fnatic is going to secure a spot in the MSI Knockout Stage, Broxah’s Trundle will be a major pillar to the foundations of the team’s success.

As overlooked as Broxah might be through the first three days of the tournament, his prowess on the international stage shouldn’t have necessarily come as a striking surprise. Throughout the course of the 2018 EU LCS, Broxah ranked in the top 3 among all starting junglers when it came to KDA, GPM, GD@15, CSD@15, XPD@15, and FB%. With these stats in mind, it’s only fitting that Broxah would take his regional dominance and transform it into international success.

And now, with 4 games remaining in the MSI Group Stage, Fnatic will find itself matched up against Team Liquid, King-Zone DragonX, EVOS Esports and the Flash Wolves before all is said and done. During the first round robin, Fnatic found wins against 3 of those teams, with the Flash Wolves serving as the outlier. During these contests, Broxah played his opponents close and even out-jungled his counterparts throughout the course of the first round robin.

But now, Moojin, Xmithie, Nguyễn “YiJin” Lê Hải Đăng, and Han “Peanut” Wang-ho could step up to the plate against Fnatic and prove why they’re world-class junglers in the first place. But, if there was any one major takeaway from Fnatic’s first trip through the MSI table, it’s that Broxah is up for a challenge, and that he can most definitely compete on the international stage.

Photo Credit: Lolesports, Fnatic