Week 4 of the LPL 2022 Spring Split is finally about to start. After the break for the Lunar New Year, the teams are once again getting ready to jump into the action. Two teams remain undefeated, as LNG and EDG are yet to drop a series. LNG is 5 and 0, while EDG is 4 and 0. RNG sit between them with six games played, five victories and one defeat. On the opposite side of the table, Team World Elite remain the only team yet to pick up a match win. Will these teams remain on their trajectories for week 4? Here is a look at all the matches from week 4 of the LPL 2022 Spring Split.
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 4: Day 1
Match 1: Invictus Gaming vs Rare Atom
The first match upon the return of the games will feature IG and Rare Atom. Invictus Gaming are sitting at 1:4, with their one win being over TT in their first match of the split. IG has started anew this split, so it is understandable if the team struggles, especially at the start of the split. However, with the Lunar New Year break now behind us, IG needs to step their game up, if they want to still try and make playoffs at the end of the split.
Meanwhile, Rare Atom are also on a losing streak. However, their recent schedule was a rough one. After starting against Top Esports, they took on LNG, Victory Five and Bilibli Gaming. It is understandable that they struggled to remain their tempo from week 1 up. However, this match will be an important one to win. IG is another struggling team. If they lose here, then the rest of their season could end up being stunted.
Prediction: Rare Atom
Match 2: JD Gaming vs Team World Elite
The second match of the week features team on opposite trajectories. JDG is on an upward swing, winning both of their previous 2 matches, including a match against FPX that they weren’t expected to win. Kanavi seems to be performing much at the level expected of him, and their bot lane of Hope and Missing is playing very well. With a new patch and possibly a new meta incoming, JDG needs to make sure that they press their advantage before WE manages to get back on their feet.
While JDG have been improving, WE’s situation has been only getting worse. Sitting at 0:4, Team World Elite are yet to pick up a match win. However, in all fairness to WE, their opponents have all been upper table teams. So far, they faced Weibo Gaming, Victory Five, Top Esports and LNG, four teams expected to finish towards the top of the table. This will be their first match against a team that is expected to finish towards the middle of the table. Hopefully, they can start to impress and pick up wins, before it is too late.
Prediction: JD Gaming
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 4: Day 2
Match 1: Ultra Prime vs Anyone’s Legend
Speaking of teams that are struggling, Anyone’s Legend is on a five-match losing streak. After beating out LGD, they lost to OMG, FPX, Weibo, RNG and TT. This last one is the main reason for concern for AL. TT is another team that is struggling, and they are yet to field their complete roster, as both Chieftain and Ucal are yet to play, presumably due to them being under quarantine in China. With Anyone’s Legend already playing with their full roster, that is never a good sign.
Meanwhile, Ultra Prime are moving up the table. Beating both LGD and Invictus Gaming, Ultra Prime are now tied with Top Esports. While they were both fairly easy matches, confirming your favouritism in the LPL isn’t as easy as it sounds. Ultra Prime will want to keep up their good work, and continue to fight for a possible playoff spot.
Prediction: Ultra Prime
Match 2: ThunderTalk Gaming vs Bilibili Gaming
The second match of the day has a lot of questions surrounding both teams. For the side of TT, many are wondering if Chieftain and Ucal will start. Officially announced on January 14th, neither of them have seen play so far, presumably due to being in quarantine. However, this match will take place after nearly a month since the announcement. While the team managed to take down Anyone’s Legend, it wasn’t a convincing series, and so many are excited at the idea of two new players potentially starting.
Meanwhile, on the side of BLG, the big question is will Uzi start. He is yet to play this split, but this is unsurprising as he does tend to take the beginning of the year off. However, in the past. he has played after the Lunar New Year. With the break behind us, the question now remains: When will Uzi make his return to the LPL?
Prediction: Bilibili Gaming
Match 3: OMG vs Victory Five
The third match of the day has Victory Five and OMG face off. Victory Five were dealt their first loss in week 3, courtesy of Weibo Gaming. With that behind them, V5 can now focus on becoming more consistent. Despite being 3:1, Victory Five is yet to take a clean series, dropping games to WE, Rare Atom and Top, and dropping the entire series to WBG. Consistency is key if V5 want to make a push to end at the top of the table.
Speaking of consistency, OMG need to find their own footing. Week 3 was a weird one for them, since they lost to a previously winless LGD, but than took down Top Esports, who were starting to look better, in a clean series. Many have OMG as a team that should make playoffs, maybe even upset the upper half of the table. They need to find consistency in their performances if they want to improve on their 2021 Summer Split record.
Prediction: Victory Five
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 4: Day 3
Match 1: EDG vs Team World Elite
Saturday’s first match could very well be a tale of two teams. WE, unless they manage to upset JDG, will come in winless to face EDG. To add on to the previously mentioned rough schedule, WE is also playing with a substitute jungler, seeing that Beishang is currently not with the team due to his region being on lockdown. It is unknown if that has been remedied and he will play this week, or if View will continue to play for the team. Either way, WE will need to put on the best performances of their lives to take down EDG.
Meanwhile, EDG are undefeated so far this split. In fact, other than a single game dropped to Ultra Prime, EDG have had a perfect split so far. The team has been performing even better than they were last summer, and are truly looking like the World Champions. The team’s atmosphere also seems to be a positive one, as the players are happy to play together for another year. It will take a massive underperformance from them and a gargantuan performance from WE if they are to lose this match.
Prediction: EDG
Match 2: Weibo Gaming vs FunPlus Phoenix
The second match of the day should be a good one. Weibo Gaming are currently 4:1, with wins over WE, TT, AL and V5, but a loss to BLG. Despite the positive record, many still have multiple questions regarding a few players on the roster. For a meta where his mages are S tier, Angel has been very quiet. Not underperforming, but also not contributing as much as was expected. ON has also been questionable at time in the bot lane. This series against FPX should serve as an excellent measuring stick.
This is due to the fact that FPX’s instability comes from the same roles that WBG’s does. While Gori has been excellent in the team fights, his early game lane stats have been poor to say the least. Meanwhile, Hang has struggled with his consistency. While he does tend to pop off and shine, he often overextends and gets punished by the enemy team. Which team manages to be more consistent will likely emerge victoriously.
Prediction: Weibo Gaming
Match 3: RNG vs Top Esports
The final match of the day features two teams that many expected to be towards the top of the table. RNG have lived up to expectations so far this split, with the team slowly but surely returning to top form one week at a time. In the final match prior to the break, RNG took down the previously undefeated BLG, to tie with LNG in wins, but stay in second due to having a loss. It seems like the growing pains of having Xiaohu return to the mid lane and bringing in a new top laner are now a thing of the past.
However, a team that cannot say the same is Top Esports. After losing to RA and bringing in Xiaopeng, the team looked like they were good to go. However, their last two matches have been awful, with their final match prior to the Lunar New Year being a clean 2:0 loss to OMG, a team that had just lost to the previously winless LGD. Top Esports need to adjust their midset, unless they want to risk falling even further behind in the standings.
Prediction RNG
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 4: Day 4
Match 1: Rare Atom vs Anyone’s Legend
Sunday’s first match features Rare Atom and Anyone’s Legend. Rare Atom have undergone massive changes from their 2021 roster, losing their two best players in Fofo and Hang. After a solid showing against Top Esports, RA are yet to reproduce that performance and have since fallen to the bottom of the table. This is understandable, due to the level of their last few opponents. This should be a solid week for Rare Atom ,with them being favourites in both of the games. They need to make sure they confirm their status as favourites.
Meanwhile, Anyone’s Legend has barely changed from their 2021 roster. In fact, the one change they made was a massive upgrade, bringing Maple in over Forge. However, they are yet to produce any results, as the team remains winless with their upgraded mid laner. And this is not Maple’s fault to any extent, but yes a team wide problem. They play, and draft, like it was still 2021. A team stuck in the past will never do well anywhere, much less in a hyper-competitive region like the LPL.
Prediction: Rare Atom
Match 2: Invictus Gaming vs Victory Five
Invictus Gaming will take on Victory Five on Sunday, in what will be a heartbreaking match for old IG fans. For the first time in seven years, Rookie will not be their mid laner, and instead, will be their opponent. In those years, he brought IG fans so much joy, including an LPL title and a World Championship. However, all that is in the past now, and IG will have to go up against the greatest legend in their history. All while going through a rough patch themselves.
Meanwhile, Rookie seems to be quite at home with Victory Five. Despite dropping their series to WBG, they have performed well this split, Rookie in particular. In seven game wins, Rookie picked up MVP in four, showing that he is still in contention as a top mid laner in the LPL. The real questions have been around their bot lane, who are yet to find their footing and establish themselves amongst the LPL bot lanes.
Prediction: Victory Five
Match 3: LNG vs Bilibili Gaming
In what should be the match of the week, BLG will take on LNG. BLG will want to bounce back from their loss to RNG. Despite losing that series, BLG looked good and many positives can be extracted from that loss. However, it will be important that they recover quickly, seeing as their opponents are one of the two currently undefeated teams. This series could be very important towards the end of the split when only the smallest of margins means finishing the split in a top-two bye or starting the playoffs in the preliminary rounds.
Meanwhile, LNG are at the top of the table. Undefeated so far this split, the team has every reason to celebrate. This doesn’t mean, however, that they don’t have any weaknesses. Lvmao has returned to being a very clear weak link on this team, limiting Light who is one of LNG better and more consistent players. And up against Crisp, one of the legendary trio of LPL supports, any mistake could mean curtains for Lvmao and LNG’s undefeated run.
Prediction: LNG
And that concludes the preview of Week 4 of the LPL 2022 Spring Split. Be sure to come back next time, to read about the first few matches of Week 5.
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