FNC vs DK: are we in for a fiesta? – Worlds 2024 Swiss Stage Preview

This series will be all about chaos: let’s see who can come out on top between FNC and DK in their opening round of the Worlds Swiss stage.

Image Credit: Tom Chansiraphet/Riot Games

FNC vs DK

Following the Swiss stage draw, FNC was bound to find a strong opponent as they were guaranteed to go up against an LPL or LCK team. Among the four choices, fate decided to make them face DK, which might be a positive or negative thing, depending on how you view it.

The positive is that I feel like DK is a strong opponent and matching up against them will tell us FNC’s hopes of advancing to the Knockout stage. On top of that, DK is known for having more volatile performances compared to other teams and dragging out their games much longer, giving the LEC team more opportunities to fight them.

On the negative side, however, it’s probably the strongest of the four teams from Pool 3 based on recent form. T1 struggled against them and LNG, which I would rate higher, was definitely impacted by Scout’s situation. With that in mind, let’s see the key elements of this match.

Match Breakdown

Based on how the Worlds meta has been unfolding so far, I would say DK is probably an indirect winner of the shift. Both Lucid and Showmaker are known for playing bruiser junglers and mage mids more than anything else and we should see them become an important core throughout the tournament.

The only one who probably loses a bit of value is Aiming, who’s mainly known for his hypercarries: we’ll see whether he stays as the team’s main threat or if he turns into a more utility-based role.

For FNC, we need to see Razork’s proactivity and strong linkage with his solo lanes. The Spanish player has been the best jungler in the LEC this year and he will be the one leading the charge.

My question mark will be around Noah: the guy has had some issues showing up his true potential when it really matters and having that uncertainty is an additional factor you would want to avoid. On a good day, I see a situation where FNC would come out on top. But unless all players are in strong form, I would give DK the win on this match.