The Rise of Fnatic and the Journey of CLG and M5
This article will cover the rise of Fnatic and the journey of CLG and M5 after S2 worlds. Before the first ever LCS split, there were three European powerhouse teams – Moscow 5 (Gambit), Clg.eu (EG), and Fnatic. Both M5 and CLG.EU achieved great success in S2, with CLG.eu even making it to the finals of OGN. However, both teams faced disappointing performances at S2 worlds, losing in the semi-finals to the same team that knocked them out of the OGN finals, Frost. After the Worlds, both teams experienced a decline in their performance.
Facing New Challenges
CLG.eu attended Dreamhack Winter, a tournament filled with European teams. They were expected to win, but they lost in the finals to Fnatic. Despite Fnatic’s lack of major achievements during that season, they proved themselves by defeating CLG.eu. CLG.eu then prepared for IPL5, a tournament with top teams from around the world. M5 and Fnatic were both invited, along with the Chinese giants “WE” and the world champions TPA. Fnatic was only invited last minute as an alternate team. The tournament saw unexpected results, with Fnatic defeating Korean team Blaze and TPA.
Reaching the Finals
Both M5 and Fnatic performed well in the group stages, but M5 lost to WE in the bracket stages. CLG.eu faced TSM and emerged victorious. Fnatic faced TPA in the winners bracket and secured a 2-0 victory. This marked a turning point for Fnatic, showing that they were a world-class team. In the losers bracket, M5 faced Blaze and had a close series, but were ultimately defeated. CLG.eu faced TPA and despite Froggen’s outstanding performance, they could not take down TPA. M5 had another chance to face TPA in the losers bracket, but were once again defeated.
Fnatic’s Journey
Fnatic then faced WE, who had knocked out both CLG.eu and M5. Although Fnatic put up a great fight, they couldn’t break through WE’s strong defense and dropped to the finals of the losers bracket. Fnatic faced TPA once again and dominated the series, not dropping a single game. They advanced to the grand finals for a rematch with WE, but ultimately lost the tournament 3-1. Despite the loss, it was clear that Fnatic was one of the top teams in the world.