Fnatic brings pride to Europe at MSI
Riot··2 votes·33,965 views
"We weren't really scared of SKT," says Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim.
Very few people expected Fnatic to take SKTelecom T1 to five games in their Semifinal matchup at the Mid-Season Invitational. Among the faithful, though, were Fnatic's YellOwStaR and Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten. Whereas many teams at the tournament played scared against the top team in Korea, the Europeans brought their aggressive play style directly to their competition.
To get Fnatic on the right foot for Game 2, YellOwStaR nabbed himself support Annie in the hopes that it would allow Fnatic to fight early and often. "In the first game, I felt like my teammates were maybe engaging too slowly," he says. "I've always been really strong on engaging champions, so that's why I wanted to play something like Annie. I'm always the first to go in. If I see any opportunity, I can engage and they can just follow."
It worked. Despite SKT putting up a good fight in the late game, Fnatic gave SKT their first loss at MSI. Finally, a team had figured out how to crack Sang-hyeok "Faker" Lee and company's armor.
When Game 3 started, it looked like Fnatic had shaken the SKT mistique. Febiven solo killed Faker twice in lane, becoming one of the few players in the world to have ever done so. Febiven wasn't surprised, though. "The first time when we scrimmed SKT, I solo killed him. So, I knew I could do it... It felt great! Even though we lost the game, I didn't really care."
While Fnatic couldn't transition the pair of kills into a win in Game 3, they kept up their positive mental attitude and won Game 4 in similar style to their Game 2 victory.
Unfortunately for them, Game 5 wasn't even close. Febiven credits it to one thing: Faker's Cassiopeia. "The Cassiopeia pick just kinda screwed us over," he says. "I didn't have a response to it. We couldn't do anything against it. He just killed us… We made a huge mistake by not picking it in the second rotation."
Regardless of the loss, Fnatic came out of the match holding their heads high. They proved that they could compete with the best players in the world.
"I feel a bit sad because I know we could have won this series," says YellOwStar. "But at the same time, I'm really happy about our performance. I told [my team] that our main goal would be Worlds. [MSI is] just an experience, and it's going to help us to grow up as a team."
And really, that's all YellOwStar wanted for Fnatic from the Mid-Season Invitational. He wanted them to come together and take the next step to becoming the best team that they can be.
"We always improve as a team," says Fnatic's support. "We play as five. If one day, I want to stop or have to stop, then I don't want them to fall off. That's why I always try to get everyone to improve themselves. I want to share my knowledge, as well, so we can be really good together.
"There's going to be a bright future for us."
An unforgettable series
After a loss in Game 1, it was time for Fnatic to make a change. But before they could head onto the Rift for the second time, they had to make sure they had the right mentality. "Even if we're losing, we try to make each other laugh or just be friends, you know? We look forward to the next game, even if we know we've lost." "I don't really mind if we lose a game, because I know we can win the next one," echoes Febiven. "We just have to keep our mental state good. We just have to go on to the next game."
To get Fnatic on the right foot for Game 2, YellOwStaR nabbed himself support Annie in the hopes that it would allow Fnatic to fight early and often. "In the first game, I felt like my teammates were maybe engaging too slowly," he says. "I've always been really strong on engaging champions, so that's why I wanted to play something like Annie. I'm always the first to go in. If I see any opportunity, I can engage and they can just follow."
It worked. Despite SKT putting up a good fight in the late game, Fnatic gave SKT their first loss at MSI. Finally, a team had figured out how to crack Sang-hyeok "Faker" Lee and company's armor.
When Game 3 started, it looked like Fnatic had shaken the SKT mistique. Febiven solo killed Faker twice in lane, becoming one of the few players in the world to have ever done so. Febiven wasn't surprised, though. "The first time when we scrimmed SKT, I solo killed him. So, I knew I could do it... It felt great! Even though we lost the game, I didn't really care."
While Fnatic couldn't transition the pair of kills into a win in Game 3, they kept up their positive mental attitude and won Game 4 in similar style to their Game 2 victory.
Unfortunately for them, Game 5 wasn't even close. Febiven credits it to one thing: Faker's Cassiopeia. "The Cassiopeia pick just kinda screwed us over," he says. "I didn't have a response to it. We couldn't do anything against it. He just killed us… We made a huge mistake by not picking it in the second rotation."
Regardless of the loss, Fnatic came out of the match holding their heads high. They proved that they could compete with the best players in the world.
Legacy
As Fnatic leaves Tallahassee for home, they're carrying with them the pride of their performance at MSI. As a player with very little professional experience, Febiven now knows just how good he and his team are. "I feel really confident, because I've played against the best mid laners out there. I can do well against anyone in Europe. For our team, it's really good too. We almost beat SKT! We can beat anyone in Europe." Says YellOwStar, "I think every one of us got a huge boost. We won't be afraid against anyone else because we've played against the best.
"I feel a bit sad because I know we could have won this series," says YellOwStar. "But at the same time, I'm really happy about our performance. I told [my team] that our main goal would be Worlds. [MSI is] just an experience, and it's going to help us to grow up as a team."
And really, that's all YellOwStar wanted for Fnatic from the Mid-Season Invitational. He wanted them to come together and take the next step to becoming the best team that they can be.
"We always improve as a team," says Fnatic's support. "We play as five. If one day, I want to stop or have to stop, then I don't want them to fall off. That's why I always try to get everyone to improve themselves. I want to share my knowledge, as well, so we can be really good together.
"There's going to be a bright future for us."
