2015 was a wild and memorable year for the EU LCS, all because of a story written by Fnatic, a story that culminated with the 2015 EU LCS Finals.
The team in orange began its legacy at the very start of League of Legends itself by bringing home the season 1 World Championship. And as the competitive scene organized itself into leagues, FNC dominated the EU LCS, winning three of the first four splits, and coming second in the last – reaching semifinals of another World Championship in the meantime.
But at the end of season 4, the roster that reigned over Europe disbanded. Soaz, Cyanide, xPeke, Rekkles, Yellowstar – only the support and team captain remained, with the task of rebuilding the squad by himself. Eventually, Rekkles came back to FNC, xPeke and Soaz created the team Origen, and Cyanide retired.
In the Spring split of 2015, while the new Fnatic won another EU title before showing an impressive performance internationally at MSI, Origen earned their own spot in the LCS through the Challenger Series. And so the ensuing split had Fnatic and Origen compete in the same league. Both completed halves of what used to be a single team.
A single dominant team.
And then came the Summer split. Fnatic had a strong showing in Spring, but nothing could prepare the region for the level of dominance that they had in Summer. The only line-up to ever achieve a perfect split in Europe. 18 matches, and no team ever managed to take them down. Even when they showed cracks, even when one squad had seemed to make it through their armor, it was never enough, and they would win anyway.
FNC was stronger than any Western line-up had ever been so far. The one team that could perhaps, perhaps, do the unthinkable and stand up to Korea at Worlds – something that had never happened after 2012.
18 consecutive wins in the regular season, up to 21 after they made quick work of the semifinals. A single match away from another European trophy – without even once.
A single match, against Origen.
Origen, their sister team.
It was them who came second, black in the shadow of the team in orange. It was them who made it to the end of the other side of the bracket. It was them who came closest to giving FNC a loss.
The line-up built from the other half of the Fnatic of 2014. And if anyone could beat the undefeated squad… it was them.
That was the setup of these finals. The best European team splitting in two parts, only for both halves to dominate the EU LCS together.
Separated, only to reunite one year later, at the top of Europe. Each being the only one that could give the other a good fight.
The finals lived up to every single of the expectations that could be had.
A full five-game series, beginning with OG giving FNC their first loss of the entire split, and ending with two extremely close games. Right as the series started, Origen showed everyone that this wasn’t about FNC getting yet another win in an obvious and undisputed fashion. It was about two teams of equal skill fighting until the very end. And it was a match that nobody could predict – only hold their breath, watch, and enjoy the peak of European gameplay.
People came for this match because of the history of the teams. They stayed for the quality of the games. Five years later, this match remains in everyone’s memory as a legendary, perfect finals, and it remains in the records as the only match ever reaching a million peak viewers.
Be sure to check out more of the latest news and guides on Gamezo, the new and upcoming gaming site. Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest articles.
