Fnatic and G2 are poised to take the stage this Sunday for the 2018 Spring Split EU LCS Finals. Fans and analysts anxiously await the showdown. Fnatic ended the regular season 14-4, and they defeated Team Vitality in the playoff semifinals last weekend. G2 move into the finals after defeating Splyce in the semifinals and ending the regular season 12-7. The regular season first and second place teams will meet in the finals to truly crown 2018’s Spring champion.
Both G2 and Fnatic have storied legacies moving into the last playoff stage in Copenhagen. As an organization, Fnatic covers the entire positive record books of the EU LCS. They have the most championships (five), the best season records, and the longest winning streaks of all time. This is Fnatic’s seventh final in 11 splits of LCS. Internationally, Fnatic has won the World Championship, and finished top four two other times.
However, since most of their dominance occurred in 2015 and earlier, Fnatic is painted as the “Old Kings of Europe.” The English organization’s legacy mostly exists in the past. Listening to long-time Fnatic fans revel in their past victories sounds like ancient esports legend. Almost all of the individuals that brought Fnatic success in the past are long gone and never coming back.
G2 Esports, on the other hand, are considered the “New Kings of Europe.” Since they entered the EU LCS in 2016, G2 has finished every split in first place. The Spanish organization has dominated Europe for the last two years, taking down four different finals opponents in the process. G2 has four gold trophies of its own, and has qualified for Worlds two years in a row as Europe’s top seed.
This “Old Kings versus New Kings” narrative is pushed by the LCS Broadcast every time these two teams face off. G2 and Fnatic battled in Group A all last year, and, regardless of either team’s form, the casters slated the match-up as “Old Kings versus New Kings of Europe.” The analysts and casters will most likely rehash this storyline in the 2018 Spring finals, but here are six alternatives for anyone finding the “Old Kings versus New Kings” idea worn out.
G2’s fifth straight EU LCS Final
G2 Esports has attended the finals for every split they have been in EU LCS, despite significant roster changes. The organization entered the LCS in 2016 with Kikis, Trick, Perkz, Emperor and Hybrid on the roster, and YoungBuck as coach. They finished first in the regular season and went on to defeat Origen in the finals. That summer, G2 brought on Zven and Mithy in the bottom lane, and eventually started Expect over Kikis. Again, they finished first in the regular season and took down Splyce for the finals victory.
This same roster continued maintained their dominion over the EU LCS for all of 2017. They topped Group A in Spring and Summer Split, then took down Unicorns of Love and Misfits in the finals. G2 Esports has won four splits straight, the first team in Europe or North America ever to do so. This level of consistency at the top of the league is unprecedented.
Coming into 2018, G2 changed almost every member of its roster. Expect, Trick, Zven, and Mithy parted ways with the organization, while Wunder, Jankos, Hjarnan, and Wadid joined. YoungBuck switched teams, so G2 brought on GrabbZ from last year’s ROCCAT. Perkz is the only remaining member of the original LCS roster from 2016, yet they still made it to the finals for the fifth straight split. This finals presents an opportunity for G2 and Perkz to build on their legacies by winning a fifth EU LCS title. A victory would extend their win streak to five splits straight, two more than the next best title streak (Fnatic’s Spring 2013, Summer 2013, Spring 2014).
Fnatic’s first finals in two years
Despite being the most successful organization in the EU LCS, Fnatic has not made finals in the past four splits. G2 played spoiler in Spring 2016 (3-1 in semifinals) and Spring 2017 (3-1 in semifinals), while H2K knocked them out in Summer 2016 (3-0 in quarterfinals) and Misfits in Summer 2017 (3-1 in semifinals). Fnatic has finished playoffs third place in three of the last four splits.
Just making the EU LCS finals is a huge step in righting Fnatic’s ship for the future. Every third place or lower finish tarnishes Fnatic’s reputation for long-time EU fans, while setting tarnished standards for newcomers to esports. A win this weekend would push Fnatic back into the spotlight as a dominant organization in Europe. But, more importantly, Fnatic will need to continue making the finals for splits to come.
First time G2 and Fnatic face each other in The finals
Although G2 and Fnatic have met a few times in past playoffs, this is their first chance to fight in the finals. If G2 win, then they extend their legacy of winning every LCS split since entering the league in 2016. They also tie Fnatic for the most total EU LCS championships won. If Fnatic win, then they add an extra title to their name, bringing their total championships to six. G2 would remain second with four.
This Spring Split finals will set the narrative between these two teams for Summer Split and onward. Their rivalry meets its nexus here. If G2 pulls out a win, then Fnatic will be viewed as the team that failed. They will become the underdogs moving into Summer Split, and their “most championships” record will become tainted, since G2 will also have five trophies. If Fnatic wins, then they will solidify their spot as the single best EU LCS organization ever. Fnatic would break G2’s win streak, which will bring them down a peg as the current apex predator, and reinforce Fnatic’s off-season roster decisions.
Jankos’ first EU LCS finals
Despite playing in the league since Spring 2014, Jankos has never appeared in the finals. While on H2K, he placed fourth twice, third once, and fifth-sixth once. Jankos played for ROCCAT prior to H2K, and they placed third once, fourth once, and fifth-sixth once. Just like Pr0lly with 100 Thieves in the NA LCS, this weekend will be Jankos’ first time on stage for a title.
Simply getting this deep in the EU playoffs should be vindication for Jankos’ move to G2. However, a win would be important for proving Jankos is one of the top European junglers of all time. Diamondprox, Cyanide, and others have LCS titles under their belts. While Jankos has consistently carried his teams towards the top of the pack, without a first place finish most fans will discount his individual strength.
several players’ first finals (second most ever)
This will be the first playoffs finals for Bwipo, Broxah, Caps, Jankos, Hjarnan and Wadid. This year’s six players ties with Summer 2016 and Summer 2013 for second most finals debuts ever. Only 2015 Summer had more (9 new players). While this fact is not extremely important, spreading the competitive experience across more players is almost always better for the league ecosystem. When these individuals switch teams, return to finals, or compete internationally, analysts will reflect on the results of this Spring Split finals and weigh each players’ contributions. This championship would be especially valuable for the younger Fnatic players.
Continued dominance for youngbuck, redemption for dylan falco
Besides the organizations and the players, all of the coaches in the finals have something on the line, as well. Youngbuck coached G2 over the past two years, racking up four championships for himself. For this Spring Split final, the tables have turned, and Youngbuck will support Fnatic in ending G2’s title streak, while extending his own. His coaching record is far superior to any other coach Europe has seen.
Dylan Falco, Fnatic’s other coach, hopes to reach a new height with Fnatic this year. While Dylan coached Immortals in the NA LCS in 2016 they finished playoffs in third place both splits. Immortals was unable to translate their regular season dominance into playoffs, dropping out in semifinals. When Dylan moved to Team Envy, the team finished in tenth place and faced the Promotion Tournament. Finally, he moved to Fnatic in the EU LCS, where he finished third in the 2017 Summer Split playoffs again, despite Fnatic’s regular season dominance. Moving into the finals, similar to Jankos, is such a crucial step for Dylan, and winning would be so gratifying.
Finally, GrabbZ enters his first finals ever. Since he has only previously coached for ROCCAT, GrabbZ should be proud to bring a rebuilt G2 roster all the way to the Spring Split finals. A win here gives a solid jump-start to his coaching career, and would play spoiler to YoungBuck and Dylan’s above-mentioned hopes.
Tune in this Sunday, April 8, to watch these teams, organizations, players, and coaches put everything on the line. Their legacies, their records, and their stories will be built off of the results of this final best-of-five. Only one team can walk away with the win. With it, they will get the glory, and everything that comes with it. All of these storylines coalesce in the 2018 Spring Split finals, which goes much deeper than “Old Kings versus New Kings.”
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