Top Esports vs Fnatic

This is arguably the first truly interesting quarterfinal match-up of the 2020 World Championship. Then again, that also depends on your allegiance. LPL fans, for instance, probably don't believe in Fnatic's ability to accomplish much against their revered champions and, frankly, they have every right to think so.

The LEC, as a region, simply couldn't do much against the LPL over the last couple of years. Heck, maybe that's even an understatement. They came close, but once it all got down to the wire, once their backs were against the wall, they failed to deliver. Europe had a representative in both the 2018 and 2019 World Championship finals, and yet it didn't matter one bit -- both line-ups were outclassed and demolished with relative ease by their LPL adversaries. And had those matches been any more competitive, maybe we'd be more inclined to believe in Fnatic's hypothetical upset, but they weren't, so we don't.

2020 feels eerily similar. So much so, in fact, that no one's even mentioning G2 or Fnatic whenever there's talk about the biggest tournament favorites, despite both teams reaching the finals in years prior. They're simply lacking in one way or another, and that's especially evident after witnessing just how good DAMWON and Top Esports truly are. On paper, there's no one who can actually stand shoulder to shoulder with the LCK and LPL champions. In actuality, however, things might be a bit different.

Fnatic is by no means an unworthy challenger. And sure, flawed though they are, they always find a way to be competitive and trade heavy blows regardless of the odds. They're also insanely creative, flexible, and staggeringly experienced. Of course, their volatility and inherent inconsistency are both well documented, but we haven't seen much of their flaws throughout the 2020 World Championship. In fact, they didn't make many mistakes at all. Instead, they were clean, commanding, confident, and they took little time in letting everyone know they mean business. Of course, things didn't always go in their favor, but at least they were never blown out of the water. Even when they did fumble and fail, their errors were easily identifiable and can, therefore, be easily fixed with a bit of VOD review. Their incredible jungler Oskar "Selfmade" Boderek, in particular, has been getting a ton of praise for his incredible performances and rightfully so. He's been Fnatic's biggest catalyst, with Martin "Rekkles" Larsson taking a back seat when it comes to late game hardcarrying. This Polish jungling powerhouse has been one of Europe's shining stars throughout this year's Worlds, and if he brings his A game there's no telling how competitive Fnatic might end up being.

In short, they're equipped with all the right tools for the job -- with the job being taking Top Esports to five games. They're not favored to win and, frankly, even talking about such an outcome would be a total waste of time. Fnatic upsetting is not an impossible twist, but it's still a highly improbable one. The odds are heavily stacked against them, and their biggest flaws and weaknesses will almost certainly be exploited by a team as talented and stacked as Top Esports. Still, Fnatic will fight tooth and nail to pull off what everyone deems nigh impossible, which means we're in for quite a show!