In LEC, the EMEA region’s premier League of Legends stage, the initial two weeks of the new season have concluded. These past two weeks provided us with the opportunity to witness all teams adapting to the fresh season, updated map, evolving meta, and revamped rosters. Each team has participated in 6 matches thus far, shedding light on both the strategic approaches of the teams and the extent to which players have acclimated to the alterations introduced in the new season. Following these six weeks, the LEC standings featured a total of 10 teams, and the points table was structured as follows:
With Team BDS maintaining their 5 – 1 score in the league, each team has three matches remaining before the winter playoffs. Before the matches scheduled for January 27th, 28th, and 29th in the third week, let’s review the performances displayed by the teams over the past two weeks:
0 – 6
The new entrant, Karmine Corp, seems to be struggling to find their plan in their first season. Despite obtaining what they wanted from the Bottom Lane duo of Upset and Targamas, it only provides them with a resistance force. They fail to convey the impression that they can win matches at any point in their matches or force their opponents to play in their own gameplay. They are clearly unable to secure what they desire from the Top Lane, Mid Lane, and Jungle. Their Mid Laner SAKEN, and Top Laner Cabochard, appeared completely disconnected from their Jungler, Bo. Bo, on the other hand, seems did not much improved since his time in Team Vitality.
1 – 5
Rogue embarked on the season with both a restructuring and changes in the form of Malrang – Markoon and Advienne – Zoelys. The team heavily relies on Malrang‘s decision-making and managerial style. Despite Larssen, known for delivering strong performances in the regular season, falling short of expectations, Rogue currently finds themselves second to last in the standings. While their victory against G2 showcased their potential danger when things go in their favor, it appears challenging for the team to find a consistent working gameplan.
2 – 4
GIANTX, one of the rebranded organizations in the league, stands out as a team with clearer game plans and intentions. Generally favoring a playstyle centered around Patrik, they secured a decisive victory in their initial matches with this strategy. However, in the subsequent four games where they employed the same plan, they failed to achieve victory. Despite easily securing a win in their first match when deviating from this plan, the team’s internal dynamics seem to be not fully established at this point.
3 – 3
Undergoing a complete overhaul in their roster, Team Vitality, has conveyed the impression of grappling with communication and team balance issues. This is expected from a new team and they adapted this real quick. In the first week, they demonstrated a noticeable lack of coordination, despite the absence of significant individual mistakes. However, with the three victories they secured in the second week, they exhibited progress in overcoming this challenge. Signaling that they won’t be an easy match for rival teams for the remainder of the season, Team Vitality appears poised to maintain their form both in the third week and in the winter playoffs.
MAD Lions KOI, reinforced its roster with 4 new players. Yet the team seems to maintain its core dynamics despite these changes. The team heavily relies on the performance of Elyoya, and in matches where they can provide a suitable environment for Elyoya, they secure victories comfortably. However, in adverse situations, they face the risk of defeat quite easily. The newly added players appear to have the potential to be among the best players worldwide if they can effectively execute Elyoya’s gameplay. Nevertheless, if Elyoya’s performance takes an undesirable turn, an impression arises that the team feels like it consists of everyday normal four players.
4 – 2
Signing with the ones that had part ways with from G2 plus Kaiser, Team Heretics boasts players with a high potential when looked at on paper. Although they have showcased this potential so far, it’s crucial not to forget that the team generally competes with squads considered to be beneath them. Facing three teams in the standings alongside them, Team Heretics suffered defeat in two out of these three matches. While they seem to handle teams ranked lower than them without much trouble, the key to success for the season appears to lie in maintaining stability and concentration, especially in matches where the pressure is high.
SK Gaming, strengthening its roster with a new Jungler and Mid Laner, appears as a highly valuable and consistent team. Throughout this process, SK Gaming has achieved incredible efficiency from both of its side lanes. We observed that any deviation in the efficiency from one of these lanes resulted in disruptions in their game plan. Positioned as one of the formidable teams for the playoffs, SK Gaming clearly demonstrated in their lost matches that if they want to claim the championship, the remaining three members of the team need some refinements in their gameplay to reach the level of efficiency maintained by their retained Bot Laner Exakick, and Top Laner Irrelevant, from the previous season.
Maintaining their roster, G2 continues to exhibit their prowess in the league. Adapting seamlessly to the new meta. Even in the matches they lose, G2 consistently receives stable performances from their Bottom Lane, particularly Hans Sama. And they haven’t displayed a visible recurrence of the issues faced in the previous season. G2 encounters considerable challenges in matches when the Top Lane trio struggles. Even though they seem poised for success once again in the LEC, addressing these problems swiftly is imperative for international achievements. Additionally, although Mikyx excels in providing support to Hans Sama in the lane, he continues to face concentration issues when the game expands onto the map.
Bringing in another Korean Support to accompany the Korean Bot Laner Noah in the Bottom Lane, Fnatic stands out as one of the teams that had an excellent start to the season. With Humanoid showcasing incredible performances as usual during the regular season, and the rapid adaptation of Noah and Jun to each other, Fnatic has made a splendid beginning to the season. However, in the two matches they lost, the performance of Oscarinin drew attention. Facing first Irevelant and then Adam, both delivering impressive 5/0/9 KDA games, Oscarinin dealt significant damage to the team. Fnatic needs to find a quick solution to this for the remainder of the season.
5 – 1
Holding the sole leadership and securing a definite spot in the LEC Winter Playoffs, Team BDS has exceeded expectations with an exceptional regular season. It will be exciting to witness the achievements of the roster, displaying a similar synergy to the previous season, in the upcoming playoffs.
On January 27th, LEC enters the final week of the regular season with the Team Vitality – SK Gaming matchup. You can follow the official broadcast in English on the official LEC YouTube and Twitch channels. Additionally, you can choose to follow along with LEC-affiliated co-streamers like Caedrel.
