Fnatic Falling Out of Contention in 2019 LOL LEC Spring Split
- Fnatic is struggling to start the LEC Spring Split
- Will they be able to return to form in time?
- Who is the best pick to win the LEC Spring Split?
The 2018 League of Legends World Champion runner-ups Fnatic, find themselves in a bit of a pickle to start out the LEC Spring Split. After their outstanding play at Worlds, aside from getting stomped by IG in the finals, the hopes were high for the European side heading into a new year of League of Legends. So far, they have not lived up to the hype.
Caps’ departure seems to have left more of an impact then anyone could have foreseen for the Fnatic squad. Not to say that new mid-laner Nemesis, has been playing poorly, it just seems like there isn’t any team chemistry. With their 0-4 start to the LEC Spring Split they have fallen to from +250 to +2500.
2019 LEC Spring Split Odds
| Teams | Odds to Win 2019 LEC Spring Split Outright (02/01/19) |
|---|---|
| G2 | -300 |
| Misfits | +450 |
| Vitality | +500 |
| Schalke 04 | +900 |
| Splyce | +900 |
| Fnatic | +2500 |
| Excel Esports | +5000 |
| Origen | +5000 |
| SK Gaming | +7500 |
| Rogue | +15000 |
Do Fnatic Have Time to Turn it Around?
To say that Fnatic are underperforming is an understatement. They’ve gone from being the first EU team since 2011 to make the finals of Worlds to just months later going winless in their first two weeks of domestic play. I feel like this is the one situation of the 14,000,605 that Doctor Strange was talking about in Avengers: Infinity War.
Through their slow start to the LEC Spring Split, the longest tenured member of Fnatic, Rekkles, has struggled greatly. Putting up eight deaths in their last match against Schalke 04, Rekkles was completely dominated. In fact their whole botlane was outclassed.
It’s rough to go from placing second at the biggest tournament of the year, to getting beaten by two teams that didn’t even compete in their league last year. But there may be some value in putting some money on them when they’re down.
Fnatic has always found a way to end up at or near the top of the table in the EU Region, and despite them going winless the first two weeks, there’s still a lot of time to turn things around.
Fnatic has always found a way to end up at or near the top of the table in the EU Region, and despite them going winless the first two weeks, there’s still a lot of time to turn things around. It may be worth throwing some money on them winning the LEC Spring Split, but personally I wouldn’t bank on it.
G2 is Still the Best Bet
G2 is still the team I would pick to outright win the LEC Spring Split, and they may go undefeated in doing so. The teams’ comps that they have shown have been pretty wild, and they’re only going to get more diverse.
Excel has been the only team to compete with G2 this season, the other three games have been more or less a walk in the park for the superteam
Excel has been the only team to compete with G2 this season, the other three games have been more or less a walk in the park for the superteam. It remains to be seen if they can keep their opponents on their toes for the entirety of the Spring Split with the nutty team comps, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t be able to offer a new look every game if they wanted to.
Though Fnatic will probably bounce back and make the playoffs, I don’t really see a world where they actually can come out on top in the LEC this split. G2 is still the team I would advise betting on to win outright, but if you’re feeling like a more high risk/high reward pick, Fnatic at 25-1 may be right for you.
Pick: G2 (-300)
Zack is a lifelong video game enthusiast that has been in the competitive scene for over 11 years. He currently works at TSN and has an in-depth understanding across multiple esports titles. From PC to console games, first person shooters to MOBA's, one-taps to five-man ult's, he knows it all.
