LEC’s Inevitable Finals: FNC vs G2

It doesn’t matter which teams are Europe’s number 1 and 2 in the regular standings. We all know that in the LEC Finals, it’s always going to be FNC vs G2 beating out the so-called “New Kings” to meet again on the grandest stage Europe has to offer. This rivalry has been the most legendary rivalry in the history of European League of Legends and even though G2 Esports has been beating out FNC with some easy 3-0s in the past years, FNC’s recent 3-2 victory shows that they still have a lot of fight left against them.

The Old Kings of Europe

In the history of Europe, there has only been one time where neither Fnatic nor G2 esports won the finals – 2014 summer where Alliance Esports defeated Fnatic to end their championship win-streak in the region. In 2015, Fnatic gained their footing once more and reigned supreme until 2016 when a new team called G2 Esports would join the EU LCS and gain 1st seed on their very first season. Thus, FNC vs G2 Rivalry began for the years to come.

FNC vs G2 Esports was a rivalry where both teams would compete for the most number of championship titles in the LEC. They were recently tied 7 domestic titles each until G2 Esports finally broke the streak by beating FNC in the grand finals of LEC’s 2020 Summer Playoffs. Despite beating FNC with the number of domestic titles, FNC still have something that G2 Esports doesn’t have – the coveted World Championship Trophy that Fnatic won in the very first season.

The Legendary FNC vs G2 Rivalry

The LEC continues to rise consistently in the international stage, with the region gaining the status of the number 2 region in the world. Despite teams like Mad Lions and Rogue gaining favorable leads in the regular season, the 3rd and 4th place FNC and G2 teams were still the ones to prove that they were the deserving ones to face off in the Grand Finals. After all, there is yet to be an LEC finals where neither G2 nor FNC are in it.

There are only three things certain in this world and that is Death, Taxes, and FNC vs G2 in the finals. Whether the fans are always excited to see this matchup in the playoffs, or they’re getting tired of the same old teams winning the entire thing, we all know deep inside that these teams do deserve their spot in the tournament. Hopefully, new blood can catch up with these huge organizations and make things more interesting in the LEC.

Caps’ Legacy: The Deciding Factor

For newer fans who didn’t know – Caps wasn’t originally G2 Esports star midlaner. In fact, Caps actually began his success as Fnatics star midlaner alongside superstar AD Carry, Rekkles at the beginning of the 2017 season. G2 Esports’ star midlaner has always been Perkz before he role swapped to the bottom lane with Caps’ arrival to the team. Since 2018, Caps has won 6-straight championships (2 in Fnatic and the remaining 4 while he was in G2 Esports).

Caps joining G2 Esports was a surprise to the entire European community, especially since they were sure G2 Esports wasn’t just gonna bench their most consistent midlaner in Perkz. However, with the news of the role swaps happening, it all made sense for G2 Esports. Caps justified his decision to be with G2 by saying that “G2 Esports playstyle fit the way he wanted to play League of Legends”.

Fnatic and G2 Esports Going to Worlds

With both G2 Esports and Fnatic coming back to worlds as the 1st and 2nd seeds of the LEC respectively, we can expect a high level of performance from the teams once again. Both teams were the only European representatives to get out of Groups at Worlds 2019 with G2 Esports making it all the way to the World Grand Finals after defeating the SKT T1 2019 Superteam before getting swept cleanly by FunPlus Phoenix.

This year, a lot of fans noticed that the season for both representatives have been a bit shaky for both teams. Especially Fnatic, who has had an entirely coin-flip season ending the regular season with a scoreline of 9 wins and 9 losses. G2 Esports also hasn’t looked as dominant and coordinated as they were before but we know that a team’s potential can’t be measured by their shortcomings in the previous months but in their success in the previous years.

The Future of FNC vs G2 Esports

The two organizations have had such an interesting history between them predating to the time when FNC’s xPeke backdoored SK Gaming’s Ocelote, who is now the co-owner of G2 Esports. Looking into the future, nobody expected that only these 2 organizations would be the ones duking it out every time on the big stage. While this is a part of history we will never forget, this might also be a future that we can never escape.

In a few years, there might be a chance that both G2 Esports and FNC would be irrelevant teams in the league. The FNC vs G2 rivalry will be forgotten by most LEC fans. There’s also a chance that for the next few years, both FNC and G2 will still be the only teams winning the European titles. The team always finds a way to become relevant to the league. This is prevalent with FNC gaining new talent despite the departure of some of their star players.

Planning to Play in the LEC with FNC or G2 Esports?

You always have a chance to play with some of FNC or G2 Esports star players by playing in the LEC regions with some Level 30 Unranked Smurfs from the EUW server. Reach the challenger series and you might get a chance to play with some legendary players like Rekkles, Perkz, or even Caps. Be part of the FNC vs G2 Rivalry by playing in the region and support your favorite team as you climb through the ladder.