The European League Championship Series playoffs continued with H2K Gaming and Fnatic.
But before the quarterfinal playoff series took place, both teams had a tiebreaker match at the end of the Summer Split. H2K Gaming took the game in convincing fashion. And build-up for the rematch was full of banter and expectation. Strangely, most of the trash talk came from the AD carry who wasn't playing, Aleš "Freeze" Kněžínek:
@FreezeLoL shame you're not able to participate as it might have been your first achievement pic.twitter.com/8mgBDOQU0G
- Martin Larsson (@RekklesLoL) August 11, 2016
But the sportsmanship and respect were there from the AD carry who was starting:
Looking forward to the match tomorrow vs Fnatic, always better to play vs competition like @RekklesLoL instead of eu wonderboyz. Peace out!
- FORG1VEN (@FORG1VENGRE) August 13, 2016
Most people predicted H2K Gaming would roll through, just like in the tiebreaker game, and show up as the better team. It was painted as a matchup between two of the best AD carries in Europe, Konstantinos "FORG1VEN" Tzortziou and Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, but FNC would not show up. Those predictions were validated, as H2K Gaming crushed the series 3-0, with FORG1VEN finally winning his first LCS playoff series. As a result, G2 Esports qualified for Worlds at the conclusion of the matchup.
For FNC fans, it was hard to watch. Whether it was Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim's overextensions or Lee "Spirit" Da-yoon's insistence to play Nidalee and barely scratch the enemy team, it was a mess. H2K Gaming won in all facets of the game: macro and objectives, lane phase, team fighting execution, and individual play. While the hype that brewed before the matchup was legitimate, this wasn't a show of skill; it was a mercy kill. H2K Gaming moved on with scores of 13-2, 18-2, and 18-4.
The team will move onto the semifinals and play against Splyce. At the very least, the two AD carries featured above showcased the power of true sportsmanship at the end of the match:
#GODG1VEN pic.twitter.com/ixbPbIx3kz
- Martin Larsson (@RekklesLoL) August 16, 2016
