Fnatic and Origen put on a superbly entertaining second game in their two game series. The game broke multiple records and the stats will continue to be analyzed for weeks to come.
The first game was very one-sided. FNC steamrolled its opponent. From early on Spirit had much more control over both sides of the jungle and a stronger map presence than his counterpart, Amazing, while OG players gave up unnecessary kills through outplays and bad positioning. But the final nail in the coffin was when Amazing got caught by Elise’s cocoon after face-checking a bush in his own jungle. That led to a 3 for 1 trade in favor of FNC, plus a free Baron buff. Not to mention, that Power of Evil and SOAZ then wasted their teleports to simply watch the opposing team finish off Baron.
The first game's final score was 7-3. FNC closed out the thirty minute game with an 11,000 gold lead. Overall, it was sloppy play and poor decisions that allowed FNC to assert their dominance early and round off the game without a hitch.
The second game was where the insanity surfaced. [13:00] The score was already 5-4 for OG. The aggressive plays and fights around objectives would only increase from there. There were a lot of strange and poor decisions made from both teams. [34:00] OG gave up Baron so that they could instead take down two inhibitors. This decision foreshadowed how OG would be prioritizing all their resources into seizing structures and pressuring the enemy base. SOAZ was the hero here since he was split pushing very effectively while his teammates pushed the other lanes.
[53:00] FNC rushes Baron, again, while OG break down the 3rd inhibitor. With all three inhibitors down FNC now had to deal with double super minions. One of the Nexus’ turrets fell soon after. They would be confined to their own base for the remainder of the game. [71:00] OG take a free Baron while FNC try to prevent minions from taking down their final turret. At this point they lose their three inhibitors once again. So double super minions spawn, plus all the minions are buffed by the Baron aura. It seemed that the Nexus would fall at any minute.
[75:00] With their final turret destroyed, and powered up minions tearing through their base, Gamsu deployed a desperate, last-ditch effort. He sold his Guardian Angel, bought a Zz’Rot Portal, placed it right behind the Nexus, and then bought a Banshee’s Veil. The Zz’Rot created Voidspawns that helped clear some of the enemy minions that were trying to tear down the Nexus. With full item builds and a surplus of gold, his teammates followed his lead and placed a couple more Zz’Rot Portals.
[80:00] PowerofEvil took the opportunity to base while FNC was distracted at its top turret by a few members of OG. He then teleported to the botlane inhibitor and successfully xPeke’d the Nexus with his teammate SOAZ. The time for this insanely long match clocked in at 80:28.
This two game series ended in a 1-1 tie. Though it’s hard to believe, NA LCS still holds the record for the longest professional LoL game. Something else to note is that this 80 minute game ended without OG’s ADC, xPeke, earning a single kill. That stat, combined with his performance in recent weeks, should weigh on OG’s coaching staff and urge them to make some decisions concerning that role.
Lastly, in a post-game interview, Febiven said that their Zz’Rot strategy was not something that was practiced. It was something that one of the players suggested. So, they tried it out. It definitely prolonged the lifespan of their Nexus. It’s likely that other teams will use this strategy if they are heavily pressured and confined to their own base.
So, adaptation, quick decisions, new records, backdoors… the second game of FNC vs OG had it all. It’s one that will literally be recorded in the record books.
