This weekend showed that David can beat Goliath and that some teams are finally done warming up. The LEC still has its top tier teams, and teams that were expected to be top tier, but the battle for the playoffs is ramping up. At the halfway point, here are where teams are sitting in the power rankings.
Rogue (1-9)
After so many games where it felt like Rogue just couldn’t close it out they finally did and against a Misfits team that is clearly struggling mightily. Bringing in rookie Finn and Vander seemed more of just a way to mix things up but, both played relatively well. Also bringing out the Pantheon on Kikis was certainly a surprise but it seemed to work. Now that they have gotten this win under their belt the stress of getting one is gone and now they can focus on just playing League of Legends.
exceL Esports (2-8)
There are times when this team looks solid and other times when they look like, well the 9th best team in the LEC. This past weekend they had a chance to show that they could be a playoff contender by beating two current playoff teams in Origen and Splyce. They were unable to do that dropping to 2-8 on the season and likely ending any chances they had of making the playoffs in their first split.
Misfits Gaming (4-6)
Putting this team here feels wrong for so many reasons but as of right now this is probably where they belong. They are on a horrific losing streak dropping to 0-4 in the last two weeks. While three of their last four games were against some tough competition and were games they looked close in, their latest loss to Rogue is just bad. They are trying everything and were touted as a team that could be up there with G2. Now it feels as if they have completely lost their confidence. Misfits aren’t out of contention by any means but, they play against two teams that are surging in SK Gaming and Origen next week. If they lose both of those it may be time for Misfits to start looking towards summer.
Fnatic (3-7)
It looked like Fnatic would finally be back to their winning ways after beating Splyce but then SK Gaming came in and reminded them that they still have work to do. Falling this far down can only be attributed to losing Caps and coach Dylan Falco. Nemesis hasn’t looked bad, but it is very clear that he is not Caps. This team needs a Mid Laner that can help carry when Bwipo makes mistakes or Rekkles is waiting to come online. They are a shell of what they were and if they have any hopes of making a run to the playoffs something needs to change.
SK Gaming (5-5)
A little over halfway through the season and SK Gaming are currently a playoff team. This weekend was massive for them not because they beat Rogue but, because they finally beat a top tier team. Until Friday SK’s wins had only come against Rogue, exceL, and Fnatic. Then they beat Vitality and perceptions were changed. This week they have major matchups against a struggling Misfits team and arguably the second best LEC team in Schalke. If they can continue to go at least 1-1 they will be looking like the gatekeeper to the LEC playoffs.
Splyce (6-4)
It may not always be pretty but Splyce get the job done. They will always draw games out and try to win in the late game. This means they almost negate over-aggressive early game teams from the start. This past week they lost to Fnatic because they allowed Rekkles to come online and then they beat an exceL team that struggles if they don’t get a major lead by 15 minutes. With a big game against Vitality on Friday, Splyce will be able to show if their style can truly stop a team that thrives on early snowballing.
Team Vitality (7-3)
What Attila said after going off and beating Schalke showed that poking the Vitality bear is probably not the smart thing to do. That said, they still sometimes struggle against teams that they should win against. It is almost like they lose focus and beat themselves. Vitality is still obviously a team that everyone should be afraid of playing against. But, dropping games to teams like SK Gaming reminds everyone that if they play patiently there is a chance Vitality can beat themselves.
Origen (6-4)
Talk about a team on fire, Origen have won their last five games and just handed G2 their first loss of the season. It is likely that Nukeduck has officially cemented himself as the second best Mid Laner in the league and only by a fraction to Caps at this point. The man is like a League of Legends Swiss Army knife. He can mold himself into anything his team needs in order to make sure they win. Also Patrik and Mithy are starting to gel which makes them a formidable duo in the bot lane. With a big week coming up against Fnatic and Misfits, Origen can really put themselves in a nice position by beating the two former favorites.
Schalke04 (7-3)
They have beat just about everyone once and they are the model of consistency. Led by veterans like Upset, Ignar and Odoamne this team can matchup with anyone. While they did lose to Vitality and barely beat Rogue, this team is still currently the second best team in the LEC due to their previous wins. This coming week will really show what Schalke are made of. They start by facing off against a G2 team that is coming off their first loss and a SK team that is coming off a major 2-0 weekend. If they can 2-0 this weekend then Schalke will take over the top spot, if they struggle then expect them to drop quickly.
G2 (9-1)
They finally lost after a couple of scares throughout the year so far. Up to this point it looked as though G2 were winning without trying. They have been testing things out to see what works best and what they struggle with. Now with their first loss they can use it to learn about what little weaknesses they have and make the changes necessary. Until this team losses a second game, which they could even in their first game next week against Schalke, they will stay as the best team in the LEC.
Now that the LEC is a little past the halfway point, teams are going to start to push for the playoffs. With the new format it is still the top six teams who make it, with the top two battling it out in the second round to see who makes it straight to finals. Everyone still has something to fight for so expect to see some good League of Legends over the next few weeks.
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