The Key Match-Up: Fnatic vs. Team Vitality in the 2016 Spring Split Playoffs
This week-end marks the beginning of the 2016 Spring Split playoff matches, and it’s the perfect time to kick off this series of articles. In each European playoff match, I will highlight the key match-up to keep an eye on and predict the winner based on my analysis. So, let’s start with the first match of the week: Fnatic versus Team Vitality!
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The Toplane Showdown: Gamsu vs. Cabochard
The biggest level discrepancy in this match might be between Fnatic’s rookie support Johan “Klaj” Olsson and Vitality’s Raymong “kaSing” Tsang, but the real focus should be on the toplane. Fnatic’s Noh “Gamsu” Yeong-jin will face off against Vitality’s Lucas “Cabochard” Simon-Meslet in a fierce brawl that will determine the outcome of the series.
The Rivalry and Journey of Gamsu and Cabochard
Both Gamsu and Cabochard started their “real professional” careers at the same tournament. Gamsu played with Alienware Arena at a small Korean tournament in season 4, while Cabochard played with several small structures since season 3. They finally met in the semi-finals at the IEM Season IX – Cologne, where Gambit Gaming emerged victorious.
Both players joined the LCS in season 5 and played with their respective teams throughout the season. Although neither team achieved major success, Gamsu and Cabochard were considered the best performing players on their teams. They were then contracted by Team Vitality and Fnatic for the 2016 pre-season.
A Closer Look at Gamsu and Cabochard
While Cabochard has established himself as one of the best European toplaners, Gamsu has struggled to fill the shoes of Fnatic’s previous toplaner. Cabochard’s playstyle revolves around carry picks and split-pushing, allowing him to solo-kill opponents and snowball leads. In contrast, Gamsu prefers safer tank picks and leaves the damage dealing to his teammates. However, Gamsu’s performance has been inconsistent, often falling behind due to communication issues and one-dimensional playstyle from Fnatic.
Predicting the Winner: Team Vitality
Based on their performances and playstyles, I believe that Team Vitality will win the series, most notably due to Cabochard’s ability to outperform Gamsu. Fnatic’s reliance on banning toplaner picks to handicap Vitality’s pick and ban phase demonstrates Gamsu’s limitations. On the other hand, Cabochard has shown versatility by playing both carry and tank champions to fit the team’s compositions. Unless Gamsu dramatically improves his performance, Cabochard will likely dominate the series, just as he did in their previous encounters where Vitality had a 2-0 record against Fnatic in the regular season.
Stay tuned for another ‘Watch out!’ article tomorrow, featuring Origen vs. the Unicorns of Love.
[Related European Spring Split playoffs, Fnatic, Team Vitality, Gamsu, Cabochard, toplane match-up, prediction, winner, key players]