Having been one of the surprises at the start of the 2021 LEC Summer Split, Fnatic ended the regular season as one of the biggest disappointments in European League of Legends.
The team seemed to have overcome the difficulties posed by their roster changes, and were even aiming to finish the regular season in one of the top two positions.
However, a negative record in the last few weeks of competition left them hanging on to a Playoff position, scraping through in fifth place -- a result that dumps them into the lower bracker and threatens their quest for Worlds.
Even more trouble for Fnatic
What fans didn't know is that there was more bad news to come -- toplaner Adam tested positive for COVID-19 following the Superweek, and is unable to compete alongside his teammates in the studio. It's an unfortunate situation, but luckily it doesn't put his team's match against Vitality at risk.
While Adam will remain isolated from his teammates, Riot has decided to change the format of the match so that it is played online. Neither team will travel to the LEC studio in Berlin for the series on Sunday.
In order to qualify for Worlds, Fnatic must secure at least third place in the Summer Split standings to accrue enough Championship Points.
It's an already complicated task that is made even more difficult by the difficulties the team has suffered over the last few weeks.
After falling on hard times financially due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the football club's relegation, Schalke 04 have been forced to sell their LEC spot. This one goes to Team BDS, for €26.5 million.
