For Excel Esports, the match against Fnatic is crucial as their Season Finals and Summer Split are on the line.
The 2023 LEC Summer Playoffs kicked off with the final round on Friday. The day saw Fnatic battling Team Heretics for a chance to go up against Excel Esports and secure a place in the Season Finals. After a somewhat slow start, Fnatic had a commanding series which dealt a blow to the Spanish team, leaving them out for the remainder of the year – but will they be able to overtake Excel to make their dream a reality and give us another G2 – Fnatic Final?
Preview of Excel Esports vs Fnatic
Excel Esports
Excel Esports has been the dark horse of the Summer Split, consistently surprising everyone. After securing the 10th spot twice, they brought in Lee “Peach” Min-gyu for jungle position and made Felix “Abbedagge” Braun a permanent fixture in the midlane. With a 5-4 record in the Regular Season, which included a 3-0 weekend, they secured a 3rd place finish for the first time this year. In the Group Stage, they triumphed over MAD Lions 2-0, going on to defeat SK Gaming 2-1 to qualify for the Playoffs.
Although many expected them to be overwhelmed by G2 Esports, Excel kept the Kings of Europe on their toes, battling through to the end. Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther’s team ultimately walked away with the victory, but it wasn’t a walk in the park.
Fnatic
Fnatic faced a challenging start to the year, landing 9th place in Winter and 8th in Spring. They however managed to overcome virtually every team in the Regular Season, excluding SK Gaming and G2 Esports, earning themselves the 2nd spot above Excel Esports. Despite a difficult start to the Playoffs after a 2-0 defeat against SK Gaming in Round 1, they bounced back, defeating MAD before exacting their revenge on SK.
Fnatic started off on a sour note against Heretics, with their draft resembling that of the Spring Split. They however managed to bounce back, showing their fans they successfully adapted to the 13.13 meta. They made excellent use of champions like Rumble and Varus, allowing them to determine games during the mid-game phase, which was previously their weakest stage.
Predictions for Excel Esports vs Fnatic
The teams’ solo laners have shown comparable performances throughout the summer. Both Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and Oscár “Oscarinin” Munoz Jiménez have displayed their capability to lead with champions like Rumble while also providing support to let their teams prosper. Marek “Humanoid” Brázda and Abbedagge share a similar playing style, so the likes of LeBlanc or Jayce may be absent in this series, at least without a response.
The difference between the teams lies in their botlanes and jungles: Patrik “Patrik” Jírú is the primary carry for Excel, but he doesn’t pack the same punch as On “Noah” Hyeon-taek. Furthermore, Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz is far more reliable than Peach. This gives Fnatic a potential advantage. If they manage to replicate their performance from Friday, they could shatter Excel’s dreams.
How to watch Excel Esports vs Fnatic
Want to watch Excel vs Fnatic? You can catch them on the official LEC YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as lolesports.com on Saturday at 18:00 CEST. Don’t forget to check ESTNN for other League of Legends content!