You have to go back to January this year at CS_Summit 7 for the last time Fnatic managed to make it out of the group stage at an S-Tier event; however, despite being ranked 65th in the world, debuting with their most ambitious roster reshuffle in their history, and in undoubtedly the most stacked group at the event, the Black and Orange have qualified for the playoffs at ESL Pro League Season 14.
Playing the odds
With the likes of NAVI, FaZe Clan, BIG, Mousesports, and Evil Geniuses nestled amongst Fnatic, Group D looked set to be where ESL Pro League Season 14 sparked into life. And, the group certainly delivered on the entertainment front with a see-sawing series of results meaning four teams entered the final round of fixtures with a chance of securing the final two spots in the tournament’s playoff brackets.
Following their gritty wins over BIG and FaZe, Fnatic came into the day knowing that they needed to beat Evil Geniuses and hope that NAVI beat FaZe in their match to secure passage into the next round. Evil Geniuses were without in-game leader Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz for the event and were already eliminated with a 0-4 record before their match against Fnatic and, despite a few potentially hairy moments across the series, a 16-11 win on Inferno and 16-14 win on Nuke secured the 2-0 for the Black and Orange.
With the side successfully doing their bit in quick time, Fnatic were able to watch on from their boot camp as FaZe took to the server against NAVI. But, whilst NAVI were undoubtedly the favorites for the series with their number one ranking in the HLTV rankings and recent win at IEM Cologne, FaZe had also shown some remarkable steel back on LAN under Finn “karrigan” Andersen, rising from 36th in the world to 6th.
FaZe were also playing for their survival at the tournament, knowing that a loss to NAVI and a Mousesports win over BIG would see them eliminated.
The NAVI vs. FaZe series was perhaps the pinnacle point of the entire group stage at Pro League so far, with both teams showcasing their skills in the two map slog-fest. It looked for all the world that karrigan and co. had managed to haul their series back on track on Nuke, only to be denied by a stunning series of clutches from Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy, who finished the map with figures of 34-6-20 at a rating of 1.47.
How far can Fnatic go?
Throughout their run to the ESL Pro League playoffs, Fnatic have surprised everyone with just how measured and composed their strategies and performances have looked. Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson has adapted to his new role as the team’s lurker superbly, William “mezii” Merriman’s strong performances with Endpoint have come across with him to his new team and so far rubbed off on Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin and Jack “Jackinho” Ström Mattsson, and there seems to be a good synergy between Alex “ALEX” McMeekin and new coach Jamie “keita” Hall.
Also, having both Patrik “cArn” Sättermon and Andreas “Samuelsson” Samuelsson present at the boot camp has seemingly provided the org with a nice crossover balance between the old era and the new one Fnatic are entering.
It’s been a while since Fnatic fans have been able to sit back with the feeling of knowing their side has progressed at a major tournament, but there’s every chance this is just the start for ALEX and co. The side will await their opponents in the round of 12 in EPL Season 14’s playoffs, knowing that a win will take them into the nosebleeds of the quarter-finals and with a real shot of shaking things up at the top table of the game again.
