Fnatic vs Cloud9

We have yet another interesting clash to open up the day -- Fnatic vs. Cloud9. Now, this isn't the first time we're seeing these two teams clash. The last time it happened, Fnatic were able to outclass their adversaries in relatively quick fashion. It was a one-sided shellacking, in fact. Now, that fact alone doesn't mean it'll repeat yet again, but all signs are pointing to such a conclusion.

North American teams simply aren't playing at a high enough level right now. Team Liquid do have a somewhat okay read of the meta, but even their level of play leaves a lot to be desired. Everyone else -- in this case Cloud9 and Team Solo Mid -- are completely out of sync and are unable to step up when it's time for action.

To make matters even worse, they're not particularly threatening on an individual level either. Other than Nisqy, not a single Cloud9 member managed to leave a mark in all of their prior outings. They're meek, they're making egregious mistakes non-stop, but perhaps most of all: they're passive and scared of making the first move. Then again, it's hard to blame them. Whenever they did opt to make a proactive play things always went awry. They're just not good enough to compete with the upper echelon of the LEC and they know it.

So if they can't fight them head on, what else can they do? Stalling things out is not an option at this point seeing how every European team forces action across the map at a staggering pace. They're unrelenting, and North America simply doesn't an answer. They can't compete at this tempo. Not yet, at least.

Fnatic played games both with Broxah as well as their substitute jungler Dan and they looked equally as strong, regardless of the starting line-up. That's a frightening notion, for sure. Their aggressiveness and playmaking ability didn't take a hit even with a change in the roster, and even though they're slightly more capable and confident with Broxah starting (which makes sense), they're still more than capable of getting the job done with a sub in the jungle position.

Cloud9, on the other hand, will most likely start without their legendary AD carry Sneaky in the line-up who will sit things out due to illness. That, in and of itself, is more than enough to completely hinder their chances of attaining any success on the Summoner's Rift. We already saw them play with Blaber subbing in, and needless to say, no one was particularly blown away, to say the least.

In the end, we have to pick a side, and we're going with Fnatic. How could we not, after all we've seen over the last two days? They're a premier team right now, and there's no reason why we shouldn't give them our full benefit of the doubt. They're taking this tournament fairly seriously, and they want to further grow and develop as a five-man unit, which means they enter each new game looking at it as a learning experience; an opportunity to grow.

With such a positive mindset, they're bound to succeed any time they step foot on stage -- at least against North American opposition. While this game might be a lot closer than most people expect, Fnatic's supreme synergy and individual prowess should be more than enough to get the job done.