FNC vs C9 takeaways and ahead to the finals

Ulquiorra0123·Oct 28, 2018·1 votes·1,833 views

At no point in this series did I think C9 had a chance except before the 1st game. I called C9 to 3-0 this series with hyper aggression, and just roll FNC that way. C9 cracked under pressure, it showed in not putting Jensen on a champion that can carry, and it also showed in Bot lane never getting an advantage. Sven literally inted the entire series away and perhaps Rito should be banning him LUL.

Mind you, this doesn't really mean that the reality changes with the battle with IG. I didn't really see much impressive play from FNC. Sure they 3-0'd C9, but it was far from clean. Game 2 and Game 3 had very sloppy mistakes that IG will punish, that didn't get punished. Game 1 really was a FNC stomp and in very clean fashion, if they can play that way for 5 games against IG, I really think they have a chance to win, but if they cannot keep that level of play for 5 games, they will get 3-0'd/3-1'd.

My prediction is 3-0 for IG. I honestly think that both team's strengths right now lie in the solo laners, and I am not stupid enough to say that Caps and Bwipo are anywhere close to Rookie and TheShy. I will take the team with the stronger solo laners in this meta, and this results in a 3-0 for IG.

How does FNC win then? Somehow get Viktor for 5 games. Bwipo is not even going to go even in top lane without this champion, so he needs that, I think Caps can fall back on Liss to just hold off Rookie's aggression, but overall I think these are where the problem matchups for FNC are, and they have to find a way to at least go even to unlock Rekkles to succeed. I do not think they will win the solo lanes, but they need to go even to give Rekkles a chance to carry the game mid-late. This is their way to victory, hopefully for EU fans they can do it.

11 Comments

GeminiRuneOct 28, 20182 votes

FNC vs C9 was anything of expected based on the kind of C9 seen throughout the World Championship and season all together. They played the right meta: early hyper aggression and so on. But this series felt off; as if they were relying too much on their supposed scrim results. In other words it seemed they were copying strengths observed in other teams and we saw how that worked all Worlds. Locking Jensen out of Assassin-Offs was a strike. Playing disadvantageous solo lanes in a solo lane valued game plan that playoffs has shown was another strike. The Viktor bot lane flex was probably the best aspect of this series; it held even if not enabled the team better...if only the rest of the points above hadn't happened. Oh well. Better team took it.

As for the final: the expected final of IG vs FNC. I honestly look back at the Group Stage for a bit of a draw. Right now I only have my results to go off of and by that I favor FNC. It's not stupid to say the solo lanes of FNC will outmatch that of IG; in ceiling form maybe. It's hard to really write out. I'm probably going to look back at the three games they had.

Ulquiorra0123Oct 28, 20181 votes

What I would challenge you on, is to find a matchup other than Viktor where Bwipo beats TheShy, I can't find a single one, and I'm pretty sure Viktor will be banned every game. That matchup looks very highly likely in the favor of TheShy because Bwipo doesn't have the element of surprise or a pick that only he can play where TheShy has mastery on about 12 champions lol. Rookie is going to go even or smash his lane, that is a given. Bot Lane is the only lane I can give to FNC, and even then Rekkles is not a great person to carry in the meta.

The other massive thing is that FNC won 2 out of 3 games in an entirely different meta. We are now in a really hyper aggressive meta, which wasn't the case for alot of teams in Group Stage. This is why everyone is saying this IG is an entirely different monster compared to the IG of groups, and this is why most logical thinking people will pick IG to 3-0 or 3-1 FNC.

GeminiRuneOct 28, 20182 votes

Realize that there's more to the top lane showdown than TheShy vs Bwipo (in which Bwipo is up 1-0) but there is also the flexibility to field Duke or SoaZ. If the top meta has become Viktor priority as of playoffs, then I'm sure it'd be a priority ban. But if that happens, the meta kind of falls right back to its common standard. The meta hardly changed; only the champ priorities which in part happens due to playoffs enabling ones pool more. It's still about getting the early game advantage and momentum off of punishments and both teams showed that.

I can tell you're putting bias towards the IG solo lanes without giving any kind of breath of respect to the FNC solo lanes for not only holding their own but even having beaten IG at their own game already. I don't see anyone really saying IG are suddenly monsters outside of groups. Are they only saying that because all the other favorites above them got knocked out? That just goes to show that making a baseless reaction like that is just meh. I really don't see anything new or extraordinary out of IG that I already haven't seen or expected of them. They're beating their opponents off of their mistakes the exact same as FNC did.

You can make a result based on player for player. But I'm going off of what I've been given out of the teams as a whole. And since we've already had it, that's where I'm starting my analysis and may the better team on that day win.

KarniahOct 28, 20181 votes

What a sh it talk man they defeated IG in groups they defeat them in finals, some china slum boys cant win.

alasarcherOct 28, 20181 votes

{quoted}

What a sh it talk man they defeated IG in groups they defeat them in finals, some china slum boys cant win.

Lets be real. IG won first game against FNC. And what makes you think they live in slums?

Stars ShaperOct 28, 20181 votes

Well FNC won all the others and it's also the first time in years they look solid as a team and not just relying on a single man to make the plays.

Once the salt has diluted I hope we can watch the IG vs FNC and root for the west.

Ulquiorra0123Oct 28, 20181 votes

Meta is quite different in playoffs compared to now :( I do hope EU wins just to stop the Eastern train, but that doesn't look likely anymore.

Gaxx DOct 28, 20181 votes

If you predicted C9 to 3-0 Fnatic with hyper aggression, then just shows how much you know. Fnatic lost 1 game the entire tournament to this kind of strat, and it was game 1 vs EDG. If they don't disrespect their opponent (like they did against EDG) they can play really well against aggressive teams (Vitality has been playing that way the entire way in EU LCS, they had enough practice). Regarding IG vs Fnatic... It's like you watched only C9 the entire tournament. Here's a news flash for you: IG has been playing around their solo laners the entire year. It's not like C9, who played slow game in play-ins and for the first 3 games in the group stage, then they realized they need to play fast and to their strength. Well guess what? IG has been playing that way all along, and still they were 1-2 against Fnatic in groups. And just so you know, Bwipo and Caps lost their lanes in both games, when it comes to cs at least. But the game isn't about being ahead in cs against your lane opponent. Fnatic players play way better around their solo laners, than IG does. They also move around the map much better. That said, I'm not saying it's gonna be easy sailing for Fnatic, neither I'm saying they're huge favourites. The final could go either way, but unless you never watched IG and Fnatic play before now, there's no way you can, with clear conscience, say it's gonna be 3:0 for either team.

Ulquiorra0123Oct 30, 20181 votes

So I've watched the whole tournament. The meta has shifted entirely between groups and playoffs, essentially making groups performances pretty much moot or RNG and KT would still be in the tournament xD Historically Fnatic has not dealt with rapid change well, on top of C9 thriving in a rapid change. Now Fnatic came out of the group stage and performed very well in first series, I'll give them that, but I watched C9 rip Afreeca to pieces, not have a close series against a team that is worse than C9. Cause I'm gonna be real with you, EDG pretty much defaulted into worlds.

The reason I predicted C9 to win the series 3-0 was because of what C9 played like against Afreeca, If C9 had gone into the semi-finals and played the same way, that 3-0 is definitely reversed, but they didn't. They played more reserved, and that just doesn't work for the meta. Fnatic deserved the win though, and congrats to them.

However, to claim that Fnatic has any shot at winning against IG is the same as looking at KT winning LCK summer and saying they automatically win worlds. As everyone has stated between high elo players, casters, and analysts alike, this IG is not the same IG from groups. This is a much more aggressive, solo lane focused team, who will shove your mistakes down your throat. And if you think any differently, watch their 2 series, and then watch their group stage performances. The meta has changed, and you need to understand this, groups don't matter anymore. And your opinion was probably the same of SSG when they 3-0d every team to win worlds after a mediocre performance in the group stage. They look far stronger than Fnatic has. If you doubt even that, I dunno what to say to you.

I do think it will be a 3-0 or 3-1, I do not think Fnatic wins 2 games in this series. It is sincerely doubtful that they even win one.

Gaxx DOct 30, 20181 votes

If that's the conclusion you arrived at, after watching the whole tournament, then you're an awful observer. And you lack reading comprehension skill on top of that. So I say again: IG hasn't changed from what they were 3 months ago - they always played fast paced, solo lanes focused type of game. If anything, they're just more confident right now. They didn't "adapt" from group stage, the meta "didn't change", it's exactly the same. The ONLY team that did adapt was C9, because unlike other top teams, they didn't play that way before. Fnatic could play skirmish based style all year long. IG could play skirmish based style all year long. EDG could play skirmish based style all year long. KT could play skirmish based style all year long. RNG could play skirmish based style all year long. Vitality play EXCLUSIVELY that way and they're better at it than C9 is. So is S04, and those are the teams Fnatic was playing and scrimming against. If you thought for one second, that being super aggressive early is a recipe for defeating Fnatic, then you have absolutely no idea what are you talking about. C9 tried to play aggressive in 1st game, then it backfired, because Fnatic is vastly superior team to C9, and they know how to deal with that kinda play. And after that C9 reverted back to their play-ins form (because historically, it's actually C9 who are awful with rapid change - they usually have a good plan coming into worlds, because they either adapt to the meta, or have their own plan that works... until it doesn't. As soon as their winning tactic is shattered, they have no clue what to do, because they never have a plan B), which means playing slow, being unable to control the map, and generally having no plan whatsoever. Your general analysis suck, because you fail to realize, that Fnatic played extremely poorly against EDG, yet in those "close games" they were never really in danger of losing the series. They played map far better than EDG, and the Chinese never could capitalize on any won skirmish/teamfight in any way. And in the end it was 3-1 in favour of Fnatic, who easily had the worst set of games in this tournament, and it's not even debatable. You also fail to realize, that AFS, who were playing worse from day to day since RR ended, and only woke up for the play-offs, so they got in thanks to points, played probably the worst series of the whole year. Their decision making during the C9 series was fucking awful, collectively they played like a bunch of monkeys, even though Kiin was doing his best to try and carry. And I'm not saying this to take away from C9's win, because they deserved it. But games 2 and 3 were very close even with Afreeca making so many mistakes - any other top team would absolutely obliterate AFS. Let's not pretend that C9 destroyed a powerhouse of a team, that played insanely well. They beat a 5th best (looking at summer split performance) - at best - LCK team, that played way below their usual level. It's obvious you haven't watched LPL or EU LCS and know absolutely nothing about IG, Fnatic or the competition those teams have faced and how they were playing throughout the year. You can delude yourself into thinking, that IG is way better than they were in groups, that C9 is as good or better than Fnatic, and just had a bad day, or that C9 is one of the best teams in the world. In the end it's your opinion and you're allowed to have one. Just don't try to portray it as a fact.

Ulquiorra0123Nov 3, 20181 votes

Just wanna say LOL!!!!!! Nice essay just to have my prediction be 100% correct :)