Fnatic vs exceL

This match-up is a lot more treacherous than the ones preceding it. We already know who's the better team, but that doesn't necessarily mean things will pan out the way we expect them to -- it's rarely that simple. Both teams have been pretty inconsistent, and there's really no way for anyone to predict whether they'll come out and dominate (a fairly frequent occurrence) or spawn on the Rift "flat-tooted" and then proceed to get demolished.

Both teams have, however, locked in their playoff spots, so they'll be able to compete without any overwhelming burden or pressure -- a huge benefit, all things considered. In that kind of set-up, one simply has to give Fnatic the benefit of the doubt even though they have, in all fairness, dropped the ball against Misfits yesterday. How in the heck they were unable to close the game out with a ten thousand gold lead is beyond us. And it's hard to fully grasp what happened, too. Was it a spectacular reversal by their opponents, or a huge fumble on Fnatic's end? Or, perhaps, a mix of both? We're really not sure and, well, it's not even that important at this point. What's done is done, but they sure do have a few things to work on behind the scenes and, hopefully, they'll shore them all up in time for the playoffs.

EXCEL, on the other hand, have actually made playoffs. No, this isn't a joke or a piece of satire -- they've finally made history after numerous attempts and years of dreadful mediocrity. They have a slew of reasons to be proud of themselves and, in hindsight, their decision to sign Mikyx has, in fact, been justified; his signing has already paid off. Now sure, we don't know how big of a deal his inclusion was and how much of the credit needs to go his way but he sure as heck didn't bring the team down or serve as a hindrance -- a legend like himself must've been a boon.

The results speak for themselves, after all. Their performance in the playoffs also won't matter much: this line-up was never assembled to win the LEC but rather just make some kind of a splash and leave a mark, no matter how miniscule or insignificant it might be relative to the bigger picture.

They've already beaten Fnatic once, but we don't think they'll be able to do it again. They'll sure as heck try and, well, they *do* have a shot at pulling off an upset, but if the former "kings" play their game and don't make any huge fumbles early on they should definitely be able to handle EXCEL and move one step further towards securing their spot in the Top 2. There's still a timeline in which they end up in first place and that's precisely what they'll be fighting for here. And, well, it's a mighty important goal as well -- a huge strategic tool whose potential they would no doubt maximize.