LEC Playoffs Round 1 Preview: Fnatic vs. Origen
Fnatic face Origen in the second match of Round 1 in the Spring LEC Playoffs on Saturday 4 April! Here’s our preview of the match-up!
This time last year, Fnatic and Origen were gearing up for another meeting in the LEC Playoffs which resulted in a 3-1 Origen win sending them through to the final against G2 Esports.
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In 2020, they’re meeting much earlier in the playoff stage thanks to the introduction of a double-elimination format rewarding those teams that finished in the top four in the regular season.
So, while neither team will particularly want to lose this game, at least they have the safety net of a double-elimination format if they do happen to be on the end of a defeat.
However, bragging rights and a smoother route to the final are on the line in this match-up between two of the most popular organizations in League of Legends.
Fnatic
Fnatic’s title of “most decorated organization in European League of Legends” is under threat as they are now just one domestic trophy ahead of 2020 favorites and close rivals G2 Esports. In order to maintain the 7-6 title lead between themselves and the reigning LEC champions, Fnatic must close the gap quickly and possibly defeat G2 in two best-of-fives over the course of playoffs.
The seven-time European titleholders certainly have the talent to mount a challenge, but whether they can execute their game plan consistently over a five-game series is another matter, especially against such a solid early game outfit like Origen.
Throughout the regular season, Fnatic showcased an ability to build outrageous gold leads during the laning phase that only G2 could match. A combination of Bwipo TPs, Nemesis roams, and Selfmade ganks resulted in an average gold difference of 1084 at 15 minutes, the second-highest in the LEC Spring Split, as well as an average game time of 31:16, the lowest in the LEC by 14 seconds.
Somehow Fnatic have taken their unstoppable 2019 early game that was almost strong enough for international success and improved on it with Mithy at the helm, making the Broxah-Selfmade swap look like an incredible piece of business.
Origen
Unfortunately for Fnatic, they face one of the most rock-solid early game LEC teams in the first round of playoffs. Origen have revamped their roster and recaptured their 2019 Spring Split form in Season 10, meticulously breaking down opponents in the early stages with calculated objective play and map rotations.
This game is the definition of an unstoppable force versus an immovable object as Origen are consistently even or ahead at 15 minutes (+595 GD@15) and offer their opponents no avenues into the due to Xerxe’s excellent jungle pathing and cover for his laners.
Origen will win this best-of-five if they’re allowed to reach the late game with their preferred scaling comps and out-fight Fnatic around Baron Nashor and Elder Dragon. A lot of the onus is on Alphari and Nukeduck to lock down their lane opponents and prevent Fnatic from roaming the map freely and exploding a gold lead early on.
Key Match-Up: Bwipo vs. Alphari
The greater game of “an unstoppable force meets an immovable object” can be seen in a much smaller scaler up in the top lane as the always aggressive Bwipo faces off against the quietly consistent Alphari.
This is illustrated clearly in the stats with Bwipo coming out on top in terms of average kills (3.5) and damage per minute (463) while Alphari boasts the lowest average deaths (1.8), highest KDA (4.3), and highest CS per minute (8.5) of all top laners in the LEC.
While it isn’t as simple as whoever wins this match-up will win the game for their team, it will certainly play a huge part in the series. A huge portion of Fnatic’s success comes from Bwipo gaining a lead and taking over the map, so if Alphari can nullify this, then Origen will be in good stead to come out on top in the best-of-five.
Prediction: Fnatic 1 – 3 Origen
On paper, Origen’s playstyle is simple and easy to break down. On the Rift, the consistency of these players to not give their oppositions an inch during the early stages is unparalleled and could lead to frustration from the Fnatic players if things don’t go their way.
Fnatic undoubtedly have enough individual talent to edge out a victory or two over the course of the series, but Origen’s mastery of scaling comps plays right into a playoff series as tensions are high and games are destined to reach the 35-40 minute mark.
Provided Xerxe, Nukeduck, and Destiny are on their game and can control the laning phase, stopping Selfmade and Hylissang in their tracks, then Origen will come out on top.
Next. LEC Playoffs Power Rankings. dark