G2 Esports is guaranteed a spot in the 2021 LEC Spring Split playoffs after taking a dominant victory over longtime rival Fnatic.
After losing the first match of the LEC season to Fnatic, G2 Esports had to step up and show that they're still the big brother. Based on pure momentum from previous weeks, G2 entered the match in a much better place, but this LEC rivalry is in a world of its own. This time around, it was G2 Esports that dictated the game and posted a world-class performance.
The game started out aggressively for G2 Esports, who managed to secure two kills during the first few minutes. This instantly put Fnatic under pressure, unlike the last matchup where Fnatic was the one to dictate an aggressive early game. The early-game lead quickly started to ruin Fnatic’s plans, as both the bot and top lane needed a strong start to stay competitive in the latter stages of the game.
With Fnatic top laner Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau on an unorthodox Yone pick, it was crucial for him not to fall too far behind, but G2 Esports knew this and looked to punish those early mistakes. The same went for Fnatic’s bot lane, where Elias “Upset” Lipp didn’t manage to get the lane dominance needed on his Kalista.
As the teams entered the mid-game, it was very clear that Fnatic had to pull off some big plays to get back into the game. Fnatic still had a strong composition for scoring picks, but G2 Esports didn’t make enough missteps for Fnatic to turn the gold difference around. 4,000 gold ahead, G2 Esports was comfortable and commanding the tempo, which is always a dangerous prospect for opponents.
Even though Fnatic took fights that could've set up a comeback, it was never enough to throw G2 Esports off balance. Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski reached a point on Olaf where he was close to unkillable and able to run down any Fnatic carry. All this was while G2’s Rasmus “Caps” Winther and Martin “Rekkles” Larsson could sit safely in the backline and dish out damage. After just 27 minutes, G2 managed to close out the game and lock up a spot in the playoffs.
With this win, G2 Esports stays at the top of the LEC with Rogue right beside them. Both teams are sitting at an 11-2 record, which makes their match next week even more exciting. G2 will enter the match with a six-game winning streak, but Rogue will look to end it. For Fnatic, they end the week with a 7-6 record in the middle of the standings. Fnatic is still positioned for a spot in the playoffs, but teams are starting to catch up from behind.
G2’s match against Rogue will take place on March 5.
Did G2 ever win Worlds?
G2 Esports has never won the League of Legends World Championship, despite participating in the event a total of five times. G2’s best result was at the 2019 World Championship, where the team went all the way to the finals. Unfortunately, G2 Esports was swept by FunPlus Phoenix.
