Future rivals? Fnatic & Origen square off in Week 4
EU LCS fans are in for a treat on Thursday. As the Summer Split enters Week 4, Fnatic and Origen will face off in what's likely to be one of the most intense matches of the split thus far -- if not for the action on the Rift, then certainly the circumstances surrounding the game. It's a match loaded with history. It's a match that could be the first in a new classic rivalry. And, given their current place in the standings, it's a match that could be a sneak peek at the Summer Split Finals.
Let's dig into the four reasons why it's worth your time to tune in to this week's Origen vs. Fnatic match.
What's new is old
[[{"fid":"16918","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/rekklesandyellowstar.jpg%3Fitok%3DVsglQCeZ","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
First, the history. Before the crowds chanted Seong "Huni" Hoon Heo and marvelled at Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten's mid lane prowess, Fnatic was anchored by Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño-Martinez and Paul "sOAZ" Boyer. But after a disappointing Worlds 2014 performance in which Fnatic failed to advance beyond the Group Stage, all but Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim left the team to pursue new opportunities. For xPeke and sOAZ, that took the form of heading back to the Challenger Series with a new team, fleshing out their ranks with Maurice "Amazing" Stückenschneider, Jesper "Niels" Svenningsen, and Alfonso "Mithy" Aguirre-Rodriguez.
As for Fnatic, well, the odds weren't exactly in their favor. After the departure of its long-time stars, only YellOwStaR remained, and the organisation rebuilt the team around their star support. LCS rookies Febiven, Huni, and Pierre "Steelback" Medjaldi were paired with Kim "Reignover" Yeu-jin from Korea's Incredible Miracle squad. And, as if by magic, the team gelled seemingly overnight, finishing the 2015 Spring Split in first place while posting a 13-5 regular-season record, as well as putting on a wholly respectable performance at the Mid-Season Invitational.
Though both teams can make claims to rookie status, this game will be a match between veterans. For Origen, their stint in the Challenger Series confirmed that while they had a new name, these were LCS-caliber players. And for Fnatic, their roster has only been bolstered in the off-season, thanks to the return of dynamo AD carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson.
Europe's finest
[[{"fid":"16919","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/xpeke.jpg%3Fitok%3DI3XcFX5w","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
Pardon us for pointing out the obvious, but the Origen v. Fnatic match sees two of the top teams in Europe going head-to-head for the first time this split. Of course, it wasn't entirely expected that these two teams would be having such a strong Summer.
For one, Fnatic acquired Rekkles in the off-season, a move that brought the potent ADC home after a brief stint on Elements. The transition showed. Though technically an upgrade, Rekkles created a new dynamic for Fnatic, and it didn't help that the tank meta didn't play into Huni's carry-champion ways. In Week 3, Fnatic appeared to find their groove, dominating both Elements and Giants, but they have shown real vulnerabilities during this transition, and a coordinated team like Origen might just be able to exploit these weaknesses.
As for Origen, the team has hinged on whether or not xPeke and sOAZ are still the greats we all know and love. Sure, they looked unstoppable in the Challenger Series, but in talking to the players on Origen in Week 1, it became very clear that even they had no idea how they'd fare in the big leagues. In fact, everyone was talking about a middle of the table team, with the potential to be top 3.
[[{"fid":"16924","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/origen.jpg%3Fitok%3Dj13787n6","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
Three weeks into the LCS, and we can already confirm that Origen is a great team that's wholly deserving of their current spot in the standings. And that performance is due in large part to their astounding early game, where they outpace their opponents by 3,100 gold at 20 minutes on average.
Of course, Week 3 showed us that their early game can be both their greatest strength and greatest weakness. In their one loss this split, to ROCCAT, Origen failed to generate an advantage in the early game, with both Amazing and Mithy getting shut down during the laning phase. Origen didn’t show any change in their playstyle despite falling behind and we got to experience the first sign of weakness from them. One game is too small of a sample size to say this will become a problem for Origen, but we do need to see how they handle themselves if they fall behind versus Fnatic.
A mirror match
[[{"fid":"16925","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/huni_0.jpg%3Fitok%3DWfYXnDkA","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
The ideal setup in Europe right now is a team with three threats -- top, mid, and ADC can all carry the game. When we look at Fnatic and Origen, we see two teams that are built very similarly, both around this concept.
Huni and sOAZ are both carry top laners, favoring champions like Hecarim, Rumble, Ekko, and Fizz. We often see both teams invest resources early to secure a strong start for these top laners, and that investment pays off when the top laners transition that advantage into high-impact Teleport plays that snowball other lanes. And their individual skirmishing prowess isn't anything to joke about, either.
Febiven and xPeke in the midlane also share the same role. They are carries and have shown fantastic games on the likes of LeBlanc, but none of these teams play around their mid laner. We often see Febiven and xPeke on team-fighting mages with a safe laning phase and a 0/0/0 score after 15 minutes. This is part of the early game strategy where it’s more about snowballing your side lanes for dragon control and Teleport advantages than camping for your mid laner. That said, both players can be a threat due to their strong laning and ability to perform in teamfights. As for ADs, Niels has on more than one occasion been compared favorably to Rekkles. Both players have strong mechanics and great positioning, which allows them to shine in teamfights. That said, the two do have different levels of aggression, with Niels being more likely to throw caution to the wind.
[[{"fid":"16926","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/reignover.jpg%3Fitok%3DnSbxk7Gj","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
The special sauce that makes Fnatic and Origen stand out right now are the guys that carry the carries.
Reignover and Amazing are, hands down, the two best junglers in Europe at the moment. They both excel at early pressure through ganks and vision, and they are not afraid of diving and making the aggressive moves to support their laners. They are the backbone of the early game and we often see both of them spend time in the top lane to secure kills for Huni and sOAZ, respectively.
They are not doing this alone, though, as both YellOwStaR and Mithy are there to assist the junglers. These two supports are winning the game for you in the laning phase. They are winning the game for you through shot-calling. They are winning the game for you through roaming around the map and engaging teamfights. And, in the case of YellOwStaR, the team follows his calls without question, which allows Fnatic to react faster than anyone else in the EU LCS.
Let's play risk
[[{"fid":"16927","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/rekkles_8.jpg%3Fitok%3DfEWkg0Le","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
The current meta in League of Legends requires you to be proactive and rewards the teams that can create an advantage and use it to snowball a game. If you are afraid of taking risks, then you often find yourself simply waiting for the other team to make a play. It gives you less options, as you have to try and predict where the next move is coming from and rely on the other team to make a mistake.
Good teams are able to avoid the high-risk situations while still reaping high rewards. It should come as no surprise when we say that Fnatic and Origen are two of the best teams in the West at managing risk.
How do they excel? The details. Establishing vision control is a core component here, as it lets you know exactly where the enemy is at any given time. It also helps to track cooldowns on summoner spells like Teleport and Flash, as well as ultimates, so that when battle is imminent, you know the full scope of the match-up. Managing minion waves is also important here, as it facilitates efficient map movement around objectives.
So what does all of this look like? Take a look at the video below.
This clip is a perfect example of how Origen can set up a high risk, high reward play, courtesy of well-placed vision that gives them knowledge of Unicorns of Love's position on the map. Amazing times his gank with the bot lane pushing in, sOAZ instantly teleports down, and Mithy pulls the aggro to tank the tower. This allows Origen to jump Vardags and kill him before UOL can even react. UOL's ADC loses CS and gives up a kill, and suddenly Origen created a lead in the bot lane.
Fnatic and Origen are masters of the risk game due to their great shotcalling, synergy, and individual skill. It should be very exciting to see this tactical duel between these two teams.
So how will this game play out? Tune in on Thursday to catch our EU LCS Game of the Week, right here on Lolesports. And if you miss it live, don't forget that you can catch this match and all of the others on our spoilers-free VODs page.
