Astralis vs Fnatic Preview: LEC 2023 Spring Groups

Can Fnatic turn their season around against one of the biggest surprises of the season?

In any year except 2023, most fans or analysts would think an Astralis vs Fnatic best-of series would be one-sided toward Fnatic. But in the 2023 Spring Split of the LEC, it is Astralis that’s coming into the series as the favorites.

Astralis improved a lot not only since last year but also after the Winter Split with the addition of LIDER in the mid lane. They didn’t just become one of the better teams in the LEC, but they also have individual players that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league. Fnatic on the other hand is trying to have a bit of a resurgence in the middle of the worst split in the organization’s history. But do they have enough firepower to get past an in-form Astralis?

Astralis vs Fnatic Preview

Astralis

It’s rare to see one player change impact a team’s performance this much. LIDER might not be the best mid laner in the LEC, at least not just yet, but he brought so many small things to the table that Astralis was in need of. He is known for a bit of an unorthodox champion pool, but he knows how to utilize his picks. Not a lot of other mid laners puts similar amounts of early pressure, or side lane as well as LIDER.

LIDER joining also gave Astralis another carry threat. Before him, the team lacked a player that can carry games except for Kobbe. While the Danish ADC looks like he is playing near his past peaks, a second option is always welcomed. With three proficient role players surrounding their stars, Astralis become a legitimate dark horse very quickly.

Fnatic

After looking like they were headed to another disaster at the start of Spring, Fnatic seems to stabilize a little bit. With the rookie top laner Oscarinin getting more LEC reps the team went on a four-game win streak. But they did that while playing from home, so the question is can they repeat that on the stage?

Of course, this team doesn’t lack experience. The top lane and support might be younger players, but their stars have multiple titles and Worlds games under their belts. So it would be fair to expect them to perform under pressure, but it sometimes looks like confidence is what they struggle with, especially Razork. The jungler is the key player in Fnatic’s success. A lot of times it looks like they win when he plays well and lose when he doesn’t. It might be unfair to put too much on just one player, but Razork really needs to perform if Fnatic wants to continue their season.

Astralis vs Fnatic Predictions

Comparing these rosters and how they play, Fnatic doesn’t have a clear win condition against Astralis, not to mention the latter being in better form. Fnatic can put up a decent fight if they have one of their good days, but our expectation before the series is a 2-0 Astralis victory.

How to watch Astralis vs Fnatic

Astralis vs Fnatic game will be played on April 8, 21:00 CET (3 pm EST). Fans can watch the game on the official lolesports.com website, or on the official LEC Twitch and Youtube channels. 

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