FunPlus Phoenix and EDward Gaming will each look to add another victory to their standings in the 2021 LPL Spring Split.
FPX and EDG are playing in the featured match of week two in the LPL. Both teams started the season with victories and will try to keep their winning streaks going.
The stories of these teams are similar, but in an odd way. At one point, EDG was the team to beat from the LPL. In 2015, the squad won the Mid-Season Invitational and went to keep finding international success in the years to come. With the rise of the new challengers in the LPL, EDG lost its edge and has missed Worlds the past two years.
In 2019, FPX was all the rage. This seemingly goofy team that played the craziest styles somehow made it all work. There were whispers about the team and how good it would be once it reached the international stage. FPX didn’t disappoint, and once at Worlds, fought its way to the finals where it ended up taking the title. Unfortunately, it has been downhill from there for FPX.
FPX secured a world-class reinforcement in the top lane in current world champion Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon. In his LPL debut, Nuguri did what Nuguri does. The top laner destroyed his lane opponent and snowballed out of control. There was nothing that Oh My God could do to stop Nuguri and the rest of FPX. OMG then fell to EDG in similar fashion.
Top laners are the key players in the series between FPX and EDG. Li “Flandre” Xuan-Jun will be responsible for slowing down the bulldozer that is Nuguri in lane. If Flandre is not up for the challenge, it will be an easy victory for FPX.
Odds favor FPX with 1.41 over EDG’s 2.68. Despite the numbers, it would be a mistake to rule EDG completely out of this series. Flandre and Jiejie know how to turn a top lane advantage into a victory, and they need to be at their best against FPX.
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