Rogue broke their playoff curse against Fnatic, pulling a heroic reverse sweep after losing the first two games with amazing games from Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong, Emil "Larssen" Larsson and Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus.
The top two teams of the regular LEC season - Rogue and Fnatic - clashed on Saturday to determine the first finalist. Rogue were coming in as the best team of the season, but after an undefeated first half of the split they showed some cracks before rallying to kick Misfits Gaming to the lower bracket with a 3-1 series. Fnatic, meanwhile, had their ups and downs, but when the team came together they were on fire and showcased some of their best against G2 Esports, defeating their old rivals in another 3-1. So far, Fnatic had been unstoppable in their playoff series against Rogue - but there was always a first time.
Fnatic's Early Moves
Fnatic came out strong in the opening game, getting a big early advantage off Iván "Razork" Martín Díaz’ presence in the bottom lane. Rogue managed to punish their aggression several times to keep the gold close, but the early drake stacking paid off for Fnatic when they secured an infernal soul to supercharge their poke-heavy composition. Things looked dire for Rogue, but they were able to secure an Elder dragon and then a Baron to stay in the game and withstand Fnatic’s push. The teams kept trading fights and objectives, but in the end it was Fnatic who, with the third Elder dragon, found a 3-2 fight and were able to end the game.
Fnatic were once more on fire in the early game with Razork having a huge presence on Volibear. Rogue were able to get back, however, securing several shutdowns and bridging the gold close. The game was virtually even 24 minutes in as Fnatic found their big fight, first killing Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu and then outplaying a Rogue engage to get three kills and the Baron. The jungle Volibear was a juggernaut and proved decisive in the clutch fight 31 minutes where he kept Rogue from capitalizing on a great engage. Fnatic secured three kills to go with the Baron and easily took the Nexus.
The Amazing Comeback
Now two games down, Rogue had to come back strong - and they did. Malrang's Hecarim was huge, getting four kills in the opening minutes and setting his team for a lead. That lead ballooned when a setup around the Baron 21 minutes in led to an ace and the objective going Rogue’s way. Against the odds, Fnatic managed two heroic defenses, but it was not enough. Larssen's fed Sylas secured a kill on his counterpart and 5v4, his team took the win - their first playoff victory against Fnatic.
The fourth game started badly for Fnatic, who lost first blood in a failed invade, but it quickly got so much worse. Rogue get several early skirmishes and nearly aced them just 8 minutes in. Fnatic tried to find a way back but got pummeled into the ground again and again in one of most one-sided games in LEC playoff history. Rogue did not push their luck, took the Baron nearly at spawn and ended in just over 23 minutes.
After the Silver Scrapes, Rogue would once more have the early lead, and a kill and the first tower 10 minutes in put them firmly in the lead. Fnatic’s mid laner and support were caught of position several times, but 19 minutes in they looked like they secured a teamfight only for Odoamne’s teenage to turn it around. Rogue secured an early Baron and wasted no time to push with it. They found a crack in Fnatic’s defenses and won the fight, ending the game and completing the reverse sweep.
FINALISTS! #RGEWIN pic.twitter.com/M7v8W2gD8E
— LEC (@LEC) April 2, 2022
Read More:
- G2 Sweep Vitality in LEC Playoff Lower Bracket
- Team Vitality Defeat Excel in 3-2 Slugfest
- Rogue Stride Past Misfits with a 3-1 Series
The LEC Playoffs continue on Sunday, April 3rd, as G2 Esports will take on Misfits in the lower bracket. Meanwhile, make sure you have joined our Discord to stay up to date on the League memes, news and analysis!