TSM players stepped in for Fnatic and Entity at Arlington Major, bringing respectable success for the two teams and making the Major their own.
People were quick to rule Fnatic out of Arlington Major seeing that they are playing with three stand-ins. However, they seem to forget that these stand-ins consist of three players from a team that made second place at the last major. TSM FTX loaned Dubu, Bryle and Timado to Fnatic in light of Fnatic's failure in obtaining visas for Jaunuel, Armel and Raven.
In other words, Fnatic is basically TSM FTX with a new offlane set. This also suggests that their laning phase dynamics should remain constant. Though it is unclear on how many scrims Fnatic and TSM players played together prior to the major, they performed just fine in their first series of the Major against OG.
Fnatic secures a solid 1-1 against OG
Even though Fnatic ended their series in a draw, they opened strong and gave the previous Major champions a run for their money. In the first game, the win probability was at Fnatic's side and remained there toward the end of the game starting at the 18-minute mark. The Timado Razor and Bryle Puck had a score of 10-1 and 12-2 respectively.
However, they struggled in the second game, getting completely swept by OG. Nonetheless, Fnatic should feel proud for coming close to taking their revenge against the team who narrowly eliminated them at the last Major.
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Entity brings down favorites Na'Vi with a 2-0
Meanwhile, Entity shares a similar situation with Fnatic. They are also one of the teams considered to drop out of Arlington Major early. However, just like Fnatic, they enlisted the help from a fellow TSM mercenary, SabeRLight- to replace their carry player, Pure, who also failed to secure a visa.
For their first series, Entity went up against Natus Vincere. This is the first major of the year for the two teams. Understandably, the odds favored Na'Vi over Entity. Na'vi took second place in the third season of EEU DPC. They also have more experienced players including popular veterans No[o]ne and Solo.
Yet Entity easily brought down Na'Vi with a 2-0. In the two games, SabeRLight- picked offlane-oriented pos1 heroes such as Doom and Night Stalker. Playing his comfort heroes, SabeRLight- dominated both games with a score of 11-0 and 12-2.
In a way, TSM is actually participating at Arlington Major despite not being invited, and they ultimately get to represent NA as well. Let's see how far they can take Fnatic and Entity throughout the major. Be sure to follow esports.gg for LIVE updates on all upcoming matches at Arlington Major!
