This weekend showed the fans quite a bit. Some teams are charging forward while others are falling quickly. G2 were surprisingly handed their second loss, and Vitality seemed to survive without Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro. The playoff picture is a little more clear at the top, but the 5 and 6 spots are still completely up for grabs. Here are the power rankings after Week 7.
10. Rogue (2-12) LW: 9
They are a bottom two team and there is not much else to say. Both of their games were absolute slaughters at the hands of G2 and Fnatic. This team will need to take a good look in the mirror and decide what direction they want to go in the future, because this iteration of the team is pretty sub-par.
In Week 8 they go up against Vitality and Origen. Both of these teams are likely playoff-bound so all Rogue can hope to do is play spoiler to their positioning.
9. exceL (3-11) LW: 10
This team looked methodical against SK, beating them in every way. Then they lost a close one to Misfits. While they are still a bottom two team it looks like an aggressive style suites them. They wont make playoffs but they could definitely have an impact on who else might.
Two teams desperate for wins will be trying to take down exceL this coming week. They absolutely have the opportunity to spoil both of their seasons. With the way they have been playing lately, exceL could pull out another surprise victory. The question is, who will be the victim?
8. Schalke 04 (7-7) LW: 3
Is this an overreaction? Possibly. But they have lost four straight games at the most crucial of times. If their losses were closer, then maybe they would be higher, but right now they are getting crushed. It is clear that G2 exposed their weaknesses and right now they will need to play flawlessly to make it into the playoffs.
This week is make or break for Schalke, as they have two very winnable games against exceL and Misfits. If they continue their skid then they will have gone from almost a lock for a playoff spot to being on the outside looking in.
7. Misfits (7-7) LW: 5
While they are not out of the playoffs by any means, they still don’t look right. A loss to a Jiizuke-less Vitality and a close win against exceL shows that they just may not have enough. The team needs to figure out what is wrong quickly or they are also going to miss the playoffs. It seems like Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten and Steven “Hans Sama” Liv are the key. If they can get ahead this team wins, if not then they lose.
Week 8 will not be easy. Fnatic look the best they have all season and Schalke are like a starving dog backed into a corner. Misfits have to be hungrier, they need to want it more and play like it or they will get swept aside quickly.
6. SK Gaming (7-7) LW: 7
Would the real SK Gaming please stand up? No really, what are these guys doing? They get handled by exceL and then come back and win a thriller against G2. This team seems to have the components to be solid with Juš “Crownshot” Marušič leading the way. Right now they look like they are barely in the playoffs but will have to be more consistent.
This week they have games with big implications for both teams in Origen and Splyce. Origen are coming off a huge 2-0 week (with a win against Splyce) and Splyce got their win against Schalke. SK Gaming have to come out strong and win early as both of these teams have the ability to roll into late game and smash.
5. Splyce (8-6) LW: 6
If you haven’t been watching, this team wins when they get to late game. It is just how they do it and they do it extremely well. Last week they ran into another team who does it well in Origen, and they got their win against a struggling Schalke team. Because Splyce know how they play best, they need to continue to work around it in order to lock their spot for the playoffs.
G2 will be coming off their second loss of the split when they face Splyce this Friday. Splyce could sneak a massive win here and almost cement themselves in the playoffs. If not, then they will hope that they get the SK team that loses to exceL so that they can in turn get a relatively easy win.
4. Origen (8-6) LW: 8
Origen came out ready to play this week. Their objective was to show not only that they were a playoff team, but do so in a dominating fashion and without Erlend “Nukeduck” Våtevik Holm even needing to do much. Patrik “Patrik” Jírů was served up opponents on a platter and didn’t die all weekend. This is a testament to him, his team and especially Alfonso “Mithy” Aguirre Rodríguez who has also come on strong.
They will need to keep their foot on the gas pedal in Week 8. They play SK and Rogue, both of whom could either be terrible or steal a win from Origen. If they let up at all they could still miss playoffs. Origen still have a chance at a top 2 seeding, and need to continue their streak in order to get there.
3. Fnatic (7-7) LW: 4
Well it looks like they are officially back. Maybe they just wanted to bring some suspense or maybe they really did need time to figure it out? Either way, this team is on fire. With wins over Schalke and Rogue, this team needs Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen and Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau to continue doing what they are doing. Broxah is definitely the second carry this team needed and Bwipo looks much more calculated in the chances he is taking.
With games against Misfits and exceL this weekend should be another 2-0 for Fnatic the way they have been playing. While either team can still upset, they have not proven to do so consistently enough for there to be too big of a concern for Fnatic. That said Fnatic still can’t let up as they are only tied for fifth place with four other teams.
2. Vitality (9-5) LW: 2
It seems as though this past weekend was planned to allow Jiizuke to have a break for his health. They assumed they could win at least one game and even if they lost both they still had a playoff spot. This needed to happen so that he can be ready to roll for their final push and the playoffs. That being said, Lucas “Saken” Fayard looked relatively comfortable out there and if needed in a pinch he could definitely fill in.
This week Vitality will face Rogue and G2. It would not be all that surprising to see Jiizuke sitting out at least one of the games to get him more rest. There are arguments for either game as they could use him to get the guaranteed win against Rogue or go for the first seed by beating G2. Either way, this team should be looking for at least a 1-1 weekend to solidify their spot in the playoffs.
1. G2 (12-2) LW: 1
Losing to SK this weekend was a bit of a surprise, but SK had a lot more to play for than G2. This is not to say that G2 looked relaxed in their game, but SK seemed willing to do anything to get that win. G2 are the only team to already lock in for the playoffs and right now they need only one win to finalize their top two spot.
This week will be one of the toughest weeks in quite a while for G2 and should give them ample practice for the playoffs. Vitality and Splyce will be playing them tough and it is clear that G2 are not impervious. They will need to play well this weekend to go 2-0. If they want to continue to prove that they are the dominant team in the LEC, this weekend is a good one to remind everyone.
There are still some major games left to be played and it wouldn’t be surprising to see some tiebreakers coming out after the Week 9 games. Still, this coming week should bring some high quality League of Legends out of everyone as they look to give themselves a chance at not only a Split Championship, but also those crucial points for Worlds.
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