Fnatic vs. Rogue 8/23/20 - 2020 LCS Summer Split Picks & Prediction
What a fantastic way to close out the week: a much-awaited clash between the number one team ranked in Summer and a perennial giant of competitive League. What’s not to like? There’s a lot on the line, too. Not only are these playoff Best of 5s oh-so-important for the region as a whole but there’s a ticket for the World Championship on the line as well. If Fnatic win at least three games today they’ll automatically qualify for Worlds. If the opposite happens, MAD Lions will get the nod, meaning Fnatic would have to go through Schalke 04 for a chance at redemption.
Needless to say, the pressure is mounting. Well, at least for Fnatic. The onus is on them to perform and make their fans proud. Rogue, on the other hand, isn’t facing this kind of pressure. They’ve already secured a ticket to Worlds and are now laser-focused on leaving a mark on regional soil. There’s also no huge legacy they need to sustain — they’re building it as we speak. Fnatic, however, haven’t looked all that great throughout the second half of 2020. In fact, they looked rather abysmal more often than not. That’s quite a worrying sign for a team stacked with so much talent. On the one hand, you could argue that they experimented more than what was necessary. On the other, they didn’t look much better when they drafted comfort, so there’s obviously a cause for concern.
Of course, they’re always extremely dangerous once Best of 5s come around, but then again, Rogue haven’t shown any huge, glaring weakness (other than their ill-conceived Baron set-ups). They’re far from perfect, but they’ve done more than enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt, and they’ve secured first place in the LEC for a reason.
We’re going with the favorites on this one, although it feels like we’re doing exactly the opposite. Fnatic always have this unassailable aura in a Best of series, but Rogue have already gone above and beyond with the immense amount of success they’ve found throughout 2020, in spite of the haters and hundreds of thousands of those who doubted them. We’re witnessing a different kind of status quo form, and odds are, Fnatic won’t be a part of it — at least not like we’re used to. Still, they’re one of the most dangerous teams in the region and will surely trade heavy blows with Rogue from the very moment they spawn on the Rift. Expect an absolute barnburner that’s bound to entertain!
