As I see it, there are 2 types of League of Legends esport matches. One where one team completely decimates the other through out-of-the world map control, coordinated team fighting, objective fighting, and heavy defense. The other type is where, we see iconic plays, ones which would leave a spectators heart in a very fragile state. However, there are only a handful of matches which are a fusion of both and these matches are a true display of mechanical prowess and differentiate between a professional and a regular solo queue player. Matches like GRF vs SKT in the LCK and SSG vs SKT in the 2017 edition of the Worlds fit this description but this is the first for the Western leagues of LoL esports.

Quite recently, G2 esports fought against Fnatic. An old spark of rivalry which was enkindled again due to Caps (former Fnatic mid laner) moved to G2 esports. This match was more personal than it was professional. Within this split, G2 beat Fnatic in the then fastest game of LEC history. It was a humiliating loss for Fnatic.

That match probably ignited the flame inside Fnatic. They had to prove that they were not some old team which won matches in their heyday. They wanted to prove that they still had the capability to win and they delivered in the following matches. They were ready to face of G2 once again, with a more aggressive attitude.

The match

The game was destined to be a great one, given its team compositions. From the side of Fnatic, we had Gangplank, Karthus, Irelia, Lucian, and Rakan; from the side of G2 we had Ryze, Jarvin, Zed, Cassiopeia, and Allistar. The most interesting lane to watch was the mid lane with Nemesis on Irelia and Caps on Zed.

If you would like to see the highlights, here is a video by Kaza LoL LCS Highlights:

As this game progresses, we see a very well coordinated Fnatic destroying the bot lane, and putting themselves at an advantage. Karthus’ Requiem plays a huge role in the game. His Requiem’s seemed to hit at exactly the right time to beat the enemy champion.

In the game, we also see a newer version of Nemesis. He plays extremely aggressively and doesn’t fear attacking Caps. In the game we also see an unlikely player step up and become extremely aggressive, Hyllisang. He, on several occasions, solo killed many other players, including Caps.

During the match, we see very well organized objective controls, by both teams. The game comes down to one baron. Fnatic takes this baron and G2 move towards the baron pit. This was the moment both teams made a split second decision. From Fnatic, Hyllisang and Rekkles make a mad dash for the Nexus while from G2, Perkz and Wunder make a dash for Fnatic’s Nexus.

All Fnatic had to was to destroy the G2 Nexus while G2 had to also take down the towers. This is the only variable which explained how Fnatic won this base rush and how G2 didn’t. This match could have easily gone in the hands of G2 as the only downed inhibitor on G2’s side had 5 seconds left on the timer. The game could have been won by G2 if Fnatic had not made it to the Nexus before the Inhibitor respawned.

This mad dash made this game so iconic and one to watch. The stakes were high and Fnatic was able to cash in on them. This game is sure to go down as one of the best games to be played yet.