LEC Summer 2019 Gauntlet: Splyce vs Fnatic Recap

Game One

The final day of the LEC Regional Qualifier featured Splyce (“SPY”) challenging Fnatic (“FNC”) for the second seed at the World Championship. Many weren't sure what to expect from SPY, but heavily favored FNC regardless. In Game One, SPY showed they could contend with FNC in the early game, though FNC took the win in the end. There was a lot of fighting in the early game, but most of them went one-for-one so both teams accumulate advantages. Notably, Kobbe's Kai'Sa and Nemesis' Cassiopeia were quite fed.

The fights and plays were messier in the mid-game, but it played more to FNC's style, so they gradually got ahead. For example, SPY dove the top tower at 17 minutes, but FNC collapsed and picked up two kills. The most important fight occurred at 23 minutes, where FNC slaughtered four SPY members in the middle lane and took the Baron afterward. With this buff, FNC was able to take the middle and bottom Inhibitors. FNC couldn't quite end the game there, but only needed to win one more fight in the top lane to run straight into SPY's base and claim their Nexus.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 29:48
• Kills: 16-23
• Turrets: 5-9
• Gold: 56.1k-61.0k
• Dragons: 2-1
• Barons: 0-1

Game Two

The second game of the day was much more one-sided than the first, with FNC bringing SPY to a prompt match point. Though SPY's bottom lane duo was dominating the opponents' Garen-Yuumi, Broxah's Nocturne was blowing open the other lanes. He dove top to get First Blood for himself and also returned to kill Vizicsacsi multiple times. In addition, he went mid to help get Nemesis' Cassiopeia very far ahead again. FNC moved these advantages to the bottom lane eventually and actually took the First Tower bonus in the bot lane, their weakest lane.

During the early and mid-game, FNC killed two Mountain Dragons. With their high-damage mid and jungle, they easily rushed and secured the Baron buff at 21 minutes. They knocked down a couple of towers with it but weren't able to use just the buff to take SPY's base. FNC needed a big play, which Nemesis provided with a huge Flash-Petrifying Gaze engage that netted FNC four kills for one. This allowed FNC to take multiple towers and the middle Inhibitor. At 27 minutes, the Baron respawned and FNC went straight for it. SPY responded, but this gave time for some FNC members to rush SPY's base. Two fights broke out, one at Baron and one in the SPY base. FNC ended up winning both of them and smashed SPY's second Nexus as a result.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 28:37
• Kills: 18-8
• Turrets: 8-4
• Gold: 58.8k-48.1k
• Dragons: 3-1
• Barons: 2-0

Game Three

FNC finished the series off quickly, winning the third game in a row versus SPY. This game, Nemesis' Twisted Fate was left unbanned and it was devastating. But, for SPY, Kobbe was given First Blood when Xerxe ganked bottom at minute five. Crucially, Nemesis visited the bottom lane with his ultimate two minutes later to get FNC two kills. This also helped set them up to take the First Tower bonus at 11 minutes. To their credit, SPY did find some picks in this early game but they weren't able to gain a tangible lead.

FNC pushed the tempo by taking more towers than SPY and finding a pick onto Norskeren at 18 minutes. But they made their decisive blow at 20 minutes. At this point, FNC won a team fight three-for-zero and immediately went to the Baron and claimed it. Equipped with its buff, FNC easily pushed down the middle Inhibitor and killed two more from SPY. They tried to push on, but SPY mounted a defense and repelled the FNC invaders. They survived only a little bit longer, as at 24 minutes FNC pushed the bottom lane and engaged a fight. FNC eviscerated SPY here, killing all five members and demolishing their third Nexus in a row.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 24:43
• Kills: 17-9
• Turrets: 10-4
• Gold: 51.9k-43.7k
• Dragons: 2-0
• Barons: 1-0

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