LEC Playoff Preview: Fnatic vs. Splyce

Splyce is looking to slay the kings of Europe and take their spot in the top three. Fnatic currently has an eleven game win streak going into this series and seem determined to end the weekend on 3-0 series. The winner of this game will get the chance to go to Rotterdam and face the loser between Origen and G2 to fight for a spot in the final. Let's take a look at how both these teams got here and some of the things to note before the series starts.

The game will start at 12:00 pm EST today and can be seen here on ESTNN TV.

Splyce

Roster

Top Lane: Vizicsaci

Jungle: Xerxe

Mid Lane: Humanoid

ADC: Kobbe

Support: Norskeren

Coach:  Duke

How They Got Here

Splyce had a somewhat close series against SK gaming in the first round of the LEC playoffs. Even though the series ended 3-1 in favor of Splyce, it felt that the series could have gone in SK's way. SK needed to clean up some mistakes and capitalize more so in the early game. Splyce still seemed like the rightful winners of the series and have earned their spot to face the hottest team in the League in Fnatic. Fnatic will be a whole different beast, and Splyce will be the underdogs going into the series.

Playstyle

Splyce has continuously been called ‘the late game team'. During the series against SK Gaming, this proved to be true yet again. The problem with this strategy is that they had many slip-ups throughout the game and that could be crucial against a team that is a much higher caliber than SK. The big question mark for Splyce will have to come through on the mid lane battle between Nemesis and Humanoid. Humanoid had multiple moments that gave Splyce momentum throughout various games.

When looking down at the bot lane, there is constant pressure put on the shoulders of Kobbe. Throughout the series against SK, Norsekeren and Kobbe underperformed at different moments.  If Splyce can fix some of their issues, then they can put up a fight against Fnatic.

Fnatic

Roster

Top Lane: Bwipo

Jungle: Broxah

Mid Lane: Nemesis

ADC: Rekkles

Support: Hylissang

Coach:  YoungBuck

How They Got Here

Fnatic continues their hot streak going into the second round, by getting eleven consecutive wins. Fnatic had a landslide series victory against Team Vitality. Regardless of the ridiculous mistakes that Vitality pulled especially during Game One, it was clear that Fnatic had the edge from the very beginning. Broxah was one of the shining factors in the series as he proved his versatility not just playing a scaling pick such as Karthus but also showing his early game impact in Rek'Sai.

One of the other key members in Fnatic was Bwipo. He did not just show his carry potential, but he also showcased how well he could handle pressure. Fnatic continually insisted that if they could have chosen Splyce for the first round. Fnatic will have the chance to prove themselves as a true top three team.

Playstyle

Fnatic has shown that when they are on fire, almost no one can stop them. With an impressive 3-0 victory over Vitality, they showcased two styles of game that looked impressive. This will spell bad news for Splyce as one of these styles happened to be the late game scaling composition that seems devastating on the hand of the veteran Rekkles. There other greatest tool against a late game team (Splyce) is using an early game composition. Fnatic showed that they are capable of using this game style and had their most dominant game in the series against Vitality. This paints Fnatic as the clear favorite against Splyce.

Important Matchups

Rekkles vs. Kobbe

It is no surprise that the big matchup of the series will be the All-Pro ADC Kobbe facing off against the third place All-Pro ADC Rekkles. Rekkles has stated on multiple occasions that he does not rate Kobbe as highly as the rest of the members of the LEC.

Taking a look back to the beginning of the split we saw how bad Fnatic looked when the team was struggling. But now that Fnatic is playing so well, Rekkles and Hyli look like the best bot lane in the LEC.

Looking at this matchup, it seems that it will favor Fnatic throughout the duration of the game. When it comes down to it, however, Kobbe and Norsekeren will have to prove that they really can compete against the best, especially when it comes down to the team fight aspect where Fnatic have shown to be such dominating opponents.

Xerxe Vs. Broxah

Xerxe was snubbed in the All-Pro voting, but this will be his moment to prove himself against Worlds Finalist Broxah. Xerxe has such unique jungle picks that he can cause problems when deciding what to play.

Broxah had one of the most impressive Rek'Sai games to be seen in the LEC so far. He knew where he needed to be to help his team achieve the 3-0 scoreline and advance to the second round.

When it comes to jungle matchups, it is important to note that one can't only look at the player versus player matchup, but one has to look at the other lanes as well. It will be crucial for Splyce to have Humanoid perform at a much higher level if Splyce does not want to get run over by the currently unstoppable Fnatic.

Which team is your favorite to take the series and advance to Rotterdam? Keep your eye out on our upcoming articles about the rest of the LEC and LCS playoffs.