(Image Credit: Exilexi)
It really looked as though Misfits could go the whole way and finish the Summer Split undefeated. Sadly for Misfits, and to the surprise of many, Fnatic ended up being the ones to derail Misfits’ 9-0 winning streak.
Let’s see what contributed to Fnatic’s shock win, and who stepped up (or down) to make it happen.
Misfits didn’t have the best draft phase
Sometimes poor draft phases can make or break games for teams before they’ve even loaded onto the Rift. Although Misfits' draft was far from poor, there were a few issues.
The main problem was Misfits’ first pick Yasuo for mid lane against Fnatic’s Caps. While Sencux has performed brilliantly this Split, there’s no denying that it was Caps that brought Yasuo to mainstream pro play, and if anyone has a pocket pick counter up their sleeve, it’s him.
As a result, Fnatic drafted Wukong for mid-lane, which in Misfits’ defence, would have been hard to see coming. Caps’ Wukong was the first Wukong to grace the stage in pro play through the entirety of the 2018 season, and it proved highly effective against Yasuo.
Aside from the Yasuo/Wukong issue, there was also the fact that Misfits allowed Hylissang to draft Pyke – a playmaking champion that Hylissang is super comfortable on. The Pyke pick proved crucial in Misfits’ undoing, with Hylissang racking up a K/D/A of 4/2/2 by the end of the game.
Fnatic made smart plays that paid off
Shortly after Misfits and Fnatic loaded into the Rift, it became clear that Fnatic had a strong gameplan they wanted to follow.
This translated into a level one 3-on-1 gank onto Alphari in top lane, quickly giving Fnatic first blood only a minute into the game. Both Misfits and Fnatic are known as dangerous early game teams, so the gold advantage for Fnatic was an intimidating lead. But despite Fnatic’s initial early success, Misfits came back and threatened, with Hans Sama taking a double kill in bot lane at just 9.28.
A few choice plays onto Sencux in mid lane spelt the end of Misfits’ hopes of victory, as two deaths in fairly quick succession meant that by the 19th minute of the game, Fnatic had taken control of mid lane, and taken down two mid turrets.
Once Fnatic snuck Baron after 24 minutes, the writing was on the wall for Misfits. There was little they could do to ward off Fnatic’s attack. Before long, Fnatic was pressing in Misfits’ base, and the game ended at 28:50.
While Misfits will be disappointed they couldn’t keep their unbeaten streak, but can take solace knowing they’re still first on the leaderboard. And a Fnatic loss isn't the worse thing on a resume.
What do you think most contributed to Fnatic’s win over Misfits? Let us know in the comments below!