SK Gaming vs Fnatic

Fnatic are, by the looks of it, the biggest frontrunners to win the whole split. They're not perfect, but if they're *this* feisty and cohesive at the very start of the season, who knows how high they'll be able to soar once all is said and done! Their first two outings were flawed but also mighty impressive. Both times they were fighting from sizable gold deficits but were nonetheless able to weather the storm and claw their way back to victory. And boy was it fun to watch!

Wunder's back in top form, Humanoid's been picking up kills and breaking people's ankles with ease, and Fnatic's bottom lane duo? Out of this world, and every bit as dangerous and capable as we've come to expect. They're still out of sync at times but that was to be expect given their lacking synergy. Still, they have a fairly similar idea on how the game should be played and are about as dominant as we had expected coming into 2022. The most important thing is that the mistakes they've made are neither egregious nor impossible to fix. In fact, it's quite the opposite! It's all macro-oriented and can easily be shored up in a week or two's time!

So, needless to say, we can't wait for them to once again spawn on the Rift and show us what they're made of!

SK Gaming, on the other hand, have been both hot and cold which, in all fairness was to be expected. No one thought they'd wreck house, but we've seen glimpses of their potential and were not left indifferent. Their upset win over MAD says it all -- it was by no means a stellar showing, but they brought the defending champions down to their level and had won the war of attrition. It wasn't pretty nor was it clean, but they got the job done which is the only thing that really matters. And the fact that they won over MAD bodes very well for their future endeavors. They're not going to be upending the status quo, but they've put everyone on notice and are not to be trifled with. MAD *did* draft poorly which obviously hindered their chances of emerging victorious, but no one has the right to take anything away from SK -- they won fair and square and had made fewer mistakes on the day.

Will it be enough against Fnatic, though? We're not so convinced. The former "kings of Europe" have by no means been perfect, but their teamfighting is astoundingly good and they obviously have more than enough mechanical prowess and individual talent to claw their way back even after a shoddy early game. If they draft well and give enough agency to the right players, there's very little SK will be able to do to emerge victorious.

Be that as it may, do not expect a one-sided affair nor a shellacking. SK will challenge Fnatic across the board and should, by all means, be able to make this far more competitive than the odds would lead you to believe.