GAME 1

Fnatic’s miracle win streak was stopped dead in its tracks at Worlds 2017, and it happened in the quarterfinals. Though the draft stage went fine for both teams, with no surprise picks or counters coming in, Fnatic’s decision to put Soaz onto Trundle was a pick that never fully realized itself.

Like when many Worlds teams have picked Shen, Soaz seemed out of sorts on the split-pushing, tank busting Trundle. He never got a solid handle on his own lane – partially because RNG’s Mlxg made sure to stay top side to keep him down. However, even once the game left the laning phase, Soaz simply never used Trundle as the split-pushing threat that he was, and it was largely on him to help break through the massive health of Letme’s Cho’Gath, but he never did. Without Soaz able to weaken and bust through the tanks, Caps and Rekkles were helpless to reach the back-line, and it led to this Game 1 going in RNG’s favor.

GAME 2

It was match-up destined to lose when Rekkles picked Vayne into Tristana, but the superior map control and pressure of FNC, largely due to Caps on Taliyah, almost made it work. It helped too that FNC denied RNG Cho’Gath to give Caps and Rekkles some much need leeway to find picks.

However, even with a 10k gold lead, FNC couldn’t close it out. They couldn’t push hard enough, control the lanes well enough, or keep RNG locked down. It started with a Baron steal from Mlxg – one he had no right getting with a smite and a Cho’Gath on FNC’s side – and from there, FNC seemed to slowly wander the map, never hard committing to any one strategy, never forcing RNG back. Ultimately, it was RNG’s pro-activeness on a Baron play that gave them the edge and confidence they needed to close out this game.

GAME 3

Fnatic have won off of many mistakes, and Game 3 came down to just one more. This was a game that RNG should have won. They had the momentum, the gold lead, and everything in their favor, but it was the thrill of the hunt that got the better of them. It was Uzi that lost this game with a very confusing Randuin’s Omen build and with most of RNG around him as he stood under the full brunt of a Nexus turret and died. It honestly did seem as if he thought Morgana’s shield was a normal shield as the turret shredded through him and ultimately cost RNG the game.

But it wasn’t just about what RNG did right. Soaz played like an absolute monster on Gnar. He squeezed every ounce out of that pick, splitting, CCing, escaping, sometimes taking on three or four members of RNG at a time and surviving. Caps on Malzahar became a force to be reckoned with as well, shredding and catching out any enemy foolish enough to come forward. It was a long game – nearly an hour – and it played to Fnatic’s biggest strength, their ability to outlast their opponent.

GAME 4

There are many stories to tell about Fnatic’s loss in Game 4. RNG drafted a late game composition that FNC let them build for far too long. Vision control was a huge problem for FNC the entire game. A full 18 minutes passed without a single death. Both teams played hyper defenesive and reactive. That is all down to mechanics and strategy, but the story of Game 4 and Fnatic’s defeat is really just about Rekkles.

This is a competitor in his fifth year of playing professional League of Legends, his third time on the Worlds stage, and his second time making it to the quarterfinals. For a competitor that pushed Fnatic to the very limit, pushed them into the greatest comeback in Worlds history, it was too much to come so far and then fall so hard

He sat in stunned devastation after the final blow, unable to accept or handle the loss. Even as the rest of Fnatic filed out to bid the Worlds stage goodbye, and even as Uzi took to the stage to discuss RNG’s win, Rekkles remained, doubled over and inconsolable. For a player that showed so much passion at the wins and losses in the Group Stage, it was too much to carry the will of so many fans. Rekkles mentioned that this could be his last Worlds, and it would be a somber note indeed to see the competitor leave the LCS in this way. But the story of Worlds 2017 isn’t just about the winners and the glory, it is also about those that fall along the way.