Round 3 of the 2019 LEC Playoffs kicks off on April 13. Two legendary teams—Origen and Fnatic—clash in a thrilling best-of-five, but only one of them will make it through to the finals. The stakes are absurdly high, so we just had to make a preview for this series.

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Origen had a rough time in their previous match against G2 Esports. They did a decent job in the early/mid stages of the game but struggled to keep up with G2’s lightning decision-making. Combine that with questionable drafts and shaky Baron setups, and Origen have the opposite of momentum coming into this LEC playoffs series.

Team dynamic

Origen live and die by their teamwork. This is one of the few European rosters that’s genuinely more than the sum of its parts. You can count on Origen to show up in teamfights and outmaneuver their foes around the map. Their individual skill isn’t too shabby either. Nukeduck might not be the most explosive player in the league, but his wealth of experience and bottomless champion pool turn him into a formidable carry threat in the mid lane. Alphari has also made his presence known around the top lane. His ability to pull through in unwinnable matchups is the cornerstone of Origen’s strategies.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the bot lane. Patrik is a decent marksman when it comes to playing utility picks and cleaning up teamfights, but his lackluster laning makes him a target in the early game. Mithy isn’t much better than his lane partner. It’s common to see Origen’s support getting caught out in random spots and gifting free kills to their opponents. Granted, Origen could try to cover their bot lane with jungle pressure, but even a solid player like Kold won’t be able to do that for five LEC Playoffs games in a row.

Fnatic aren’t exactly a perfect team either. Their series against Splyce revealed a lot of flaws in the way they manage their aggression and play around jungle pressure. None of these errors are fatal, though. At their core, Fnatic still have immense firepower as well as the game knowledge to use it.

Bot lane momentum

It wouldn’t be a Fnatic LEC Playoffs preview if we didn’t talk about the bot lane. Rekkles has been an absolute menace this season, and his hypercarry dominance is the defining trait of Fnatic’s playstyle. Throw in a confident playmaker in Hylissang, and it’s not exactly surprising that Fnatic funnel most of their resources into the bot lane.

This does come at a cost, though. Fnatic are so focused on getting their AD carry ahead that they end up ignoring other positions. This isn’t too noticeable when you look at their mid and jungle positions. Nemesis and Broxah are solid enough to survive on their own. However, Bwipo has been struggling to maintain a high level of performance in the top lane, and his carry-oriented playstyle is a poor fit for a team that refuses to play around the top lane. And while we’d still give this match to Fnatic, we don’t expect them to play a clean series.

PREDICTION : Fnatic will overpower Origen and win 3-1.

Image credit: LoL Esports/Riot Games