LEC Season Finals 2024: Fnatic vs G2 Esports - A historic rivalry to end the season

League of Legends

1 Sep

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

The time has come for a new chapter to be written in the biggest rivalry in the LEC; Fnatic and G2 Esports will face off in the Grand Finals of the LEC Season Finals to decide who is the strongest team in Europe.

After disposing of MAD Lions KOI in the Lower Bracket final on Saturday (August 31s), G2 are now only one win away from completing the LEC Grand Slam by winning all four LEC tournaments in 2024.

Fnatic, however, do not plan to contribute to G2's tyranny over Europe, and will do everything in their power to lift their first trophy of the year.

Fnatic vs G2: A one-sided rivalry

Despite the two teams being the most historically triumphant in the history of the LEC, 2024 has been all G2.

In their head-to-head for the year, G2 holds a convincing 16-4 lead in games against Fnatic. And yet, while the numbers paint a clear picture, they do not tell the whole story.

The last two series between G2 and Fnatic have been stellar nail-biters. First, Fnatic beat G2 in the upper bracket finals of the LEC Summer playoffs in a riveting back-and-forth series that went the distance as Fnatic just managed to secure the 3-2 victory.

Then, squaring off against one another yet again in the same tournament, this time in the Grand Finals, G2 claimed their third LEC title of the year by sweeping Fnatic despite the team having substantial gold leads over G2 in all three games.

Despite their best efforts, however, Fnatic has nothing to show for their latest rise in strength, with G2 holding on to all of the 2024 LEC titles.

Razork vs Yike - Jungle supremacy

Razork has been touted one of the best junglers in the league for several years now. In fact, the Spanish jungler has been the driving force behind Fnatic for some time, with the team always relying on his ability for playmaking.

Despite Razork's individual skill, however, it's another name that's bathed in glory.

Yike joined the LEC as G2's starting jungler during the 2022-2023 off season. Over the course of his short career, the Swedish star has won a staggering six LEC titles. While there is no understating how playing with the greatest League of Legends player Europe has ever produced in Caps can help you on your way to glory, Yike deserves praise all the same.

Not only was Yike's ability to adapt to the biggest stage incredibly quick, but the jungler has also shown the ability to play at a high level across all of the different metas the game has gone through over the course of the last two years. Being incredibly quick to adapt, Yike has shown he can shine even under the pressure of circumstances.

In our most recent interview with Yike, the jungler discussed seeing Razork and himself as the clear best two junglers in Europe at the moment. Without a doubt, the series between Fnatic and G2 will largely come down to the jungle match-up in the end.

As for the jungler ending up on the winning end of the bout, they may just be able to claim the title of best jungler in Europe along with their LEC Season Finals trophy.

Champion picks to look out for

Brand vs Zyra

With so much emphasis on the jungle match-up, we have to mention the fact that both Razork and Yike are incredibly comfortable on AP junglers.

Yike comes off his victory against MDK in the lower bracket final having played Brand in all three games G2 won against them.

With Zyra being the other side of the same coin, it will be interesting to see if the two teams decide to shake hands and settle for a Brand vs Zyra match-up in the jungle, or if whichever team gets their hands on Brand will look to ban Zyra out.

Ashe

Hans sama has shown razor sharp accuracy with his arrows on Ashe, often being the one to set up picks for the team in the mid-game.

With Noah often looking for heavier burst in the bot lane with champions like Ezreal, Zeri or Miss Fortune, it remains unclear whether Fnatic would like to leave Ashe open in the draft or simply opt not to have to deal with it.

Kennen

Both BrokenBlade and Oscarinin are partial to Kennen.

For Oscarinin, his proficiency on the champion was in full display in the last game of the upper bracket final against MDK, where the Spanish top laner was able to single handedly turn around the course of several team fights by finding great flanking positions on Kennen.

Expect the pick to be highly contested, particularly late into the draft on compositions that seem to be missing a mix of initiation and magic damage.

A coveted first seed

The 2024 League of Legends World Championship is set to host the strongest teams from all over the World.

With incredibly dominant teams like the LPL's BLG already set to be their region's first seed, and Gen.G looking like a clear favorite to take the LCK's first seed, any and all LEC representatives at Worlds will be looking to avoid these teams at all costs. By winning the Grand Final of the LEC Season Finals, G2 or Fnatic could do just that.

Despite having their eyes on the LEC trophy, both teams will surely love the opportunity to take an easier path at Worlds, increasing their chances of making a deep run in the tournament.

To do so, however, they will first need to defeat their historic rival in order to attain that much coveted first seed.

Where to watch Fnatic vs G2

Can Fnatic exorcise their demons and finally lift an LEC trophy or will G2 achieve the incredible and complete a perfect year in the LEC? To find out, catch Fnatic vs G2 live on the official LEC channels on Twitch or YouTube, with the games starting this Sunday (September 1st) at 6 pm CET.

For the latest League of Legends news, follow Strafe Esports. Also, follow the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews with players and coaches.

Image source: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games

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