The Kings of The EULCS Seek to Reclaim Their International Throne

Last night the Trans-Atlantic war that is NA vs EU was waged in South Korea. However the battle was much more one sided than anyone anticipated.

Game One

This game was surreal to watch.It was like watching one of my solo queue teams trying to beat Fnatic.

This term is over used, but Fnatic put on a clinic. Caps and Broxah masterfully piloted their tandem assassin combo of Leblanc and Lee sin. They picked two of the best early game damage threats and used them in textbook from to assert pressure all over the map.

Meanwhile Bwipo had selected himself one of the new favorites in the top lane, Viktor.

And while C9 had a plan to deal with him by selecting an Ekko as counter pick, that never got off the ground due to a botched gank on the part of Svenskeren which gifted Viktor with an early kill and gold lead he needed to survive the lane phase and accelerate his scaling. And this gank was an indicator of things to come for the North American contenders. Fnatic quickly wrapped up this game.

Winner: Fnatic.

Game Two

Cloud9 and their coaching staff have never shied away from unconventional picks. This is something that makes them so fun to watch. But this time they shot themselves in the foot. While Sneaky has some solo queue experience playing mages, a Viktor take away assigned to the bot lane left me scratching my head. And my head only got itchier when I realized the Lucian/Braum combo that had been working so well for Cloud9 during quarterfinals was open and available but they neglected to take it.

While this game was much more competitive than the routing that was the first game, it quickly became apparent that Fnatic are just operating on a higher plane of existence.Caps truly looked like an ascended emperor and his Azir pick, ending the game in style with a four man shuffle that resulted in a quadra kill.

Winner: Fnatic.

Game Three

Cloud9 would not go quietly into the preseason. They came to fight, and fight they did. Not a single objective was taken uncontested. However rather than rise to the occasion and defeat the enemy after and 80’s style training montage, the last hope for NA was unable to overcome the European onslaught. Valiant efforts and heroism aside, Fnatic looked downright lethal as they locked down the series. The whole series they played with the type of swagger and confidence I'm sure we have all felt before as you queue into a solo game coming off a three game win streak. And this game was no exception.

Winner: Fnatic.

And just like that the stage is set for our finals. Fnatic versus Invictus will prove to be a series to remember. East meets West for the first time. Fnatic strive to add the accolade of two time champions to their storied history. And Invictus hope prove that Korea isn't the only powerhouse in the east. Both will have their opportunity on the highest stage of all. Welcome to the League of Legends world finals.