- T1 is plowing forward with a perfect record of 3-0
- It leaves Fnatic in the dust, barring them entry to the knockout stage
- Upset says the team did not skirmish enough before the tournament
After Fnatic suffered subsequent defeats from Cloud9 and T1 at the LoL World Championship, Europe’s hopes now lie with G2 and Rogue.
Fnatic Falls from Grace
We are well into the League of Legends World Championship 2022, but there is still a long way to go until we see the top team. The tournament has only just entered its second round of the group stage on October 13 and we can already see that T1 virtually guaranteed themselves a spot in the knock-out stage. This is thanks to their spotless record of 3-0 during the first group stage round robin.
The second slot for the knockout stage was up for grabs with EDward Gaming, Fnatic, and Cloud9 fighting for it. However, only one team could continue forward after T1. That turned out to be EDward Gaming who left FNC and C9 in the dust.
But what happened to Fnatic, Europe’s hope? Perhaps the first moment when things started going downhill for the team was when it went up against Cloud9. Fnatic did not fare well at all, eventually suffering a convincing defeat at the hands of C9.
Although grievously wounded, Fnatic still had a chance to make it to the knockout stage. The loss against C9 diminished their chances, but the final blow was dealt by T1, who obliterated almost every chance of them coming back in contention.
Why Did Fnatic Fail?
Fnatic’s failure could be explained by the apparent lack of sufficient training. A couple of weeks ago, just days before the start of the World Championship in Mexico City, Fnatic’s star AD carry Elias “Upset” Lipp was complaining the team did not skirmish enough ahead of the tournament.
“I think it was a long split [and] we’re taking a break, I guess, not sure,” Upset answered when he was asked why he thinks the team is not training enough. “I think other things are better for different people, maybe, but it was a bit hard with the patch as well.” In fact, in a stream before the tournament, Upset had pessimistic thoughts that the European teams seemed, in general, ill-prepared for the current Worlds.
But Upset’s predictions became only partially true. Although his team Fnatic failed, there is still a lot of hope for other European teams. G2’s current score is 1-2 and the team is going head-to-head with DWG KIA today. Meanwhile, Rogue is dominating Group C, not having lost a single match yet. If it continues this momentum on Saturday, the team will surely advance to the next stage of the competition.
