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Week 9, Day 3 of the European League of Legends Championship Series in Berlin closed out with Fnatic vs. Giants Gaming. With its 2-1 victory on Saturday and one week of play left, Fnatic has come one step closer to cementing its playoff spot.
The first game kicked off with a bizarre hero selection as Fnatic (5-6, 14-16 match record) mid laner Rasmus "Caps" Winther opted to use Kayle in lane. This pick paid off early, as Fnatic played significantly better in the early game than it had in recent weeks.
The game came to an abrupt end after Caps nearly single-handedly pushed through Giants base by the 23-minute mark, giving Fnatic a 1-0 lead in the series. Fnatic jungler Mads "Broxah" Brock-Pedersen also played well, putting up a 3/0/4 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) as Lee Sin.
Game 2 didn't feature any unusual picks, but it did showcase Fnatic's newfound early-game success. The mid-game saw Giants (2-10, 8-22) show some tenacity, but Fnatic AD carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson found his form and began to dominate any Giants member who challenged him. Giants managed to take down Baron and Elder Dragon after finally killing Rekkles, allowing the team to surge into Fnatic's base.
Back-to-back teamfights went in Fnatic's favor, but Giants managed to steal a Baron and stay alive. A base race then ensued, which narrowly went in Giants' favor, tying the series at 1-1. Giants was led by top laner Jonas "Memento" Elmarghichi, who went 5/4/7 on Kha'Zix.
The deciding game started with Fnatic getting a quick first blood, but Giants was slightly more proactive in finding kills throughout the early game. Fnatic began to play around the map extremely well during the mid-game, picking off Giants members and taking the first Baron of the game around 24 minutes in. Following its Baron grab, Fnatic sieged the Giants base and closed out the series for a 2-1 win. Caps put up a 3/0/5 KDA as LeBlanc to lead his team to victory.
Fnatic will begin its final week of the EU LCS against G2 Esports at noon ET on Thursday, March 30. Giants will play its final game of the split against Misfits at noon ET on Friday.