Week 5 of the LPL 2022 Spring Split marks the halfway point for the LPL. Every team will have played at least eight matches by the end of the week. Last year, eight match wins was the key number to book your playoff spot. In the Spring Split, LNG finished in the last playoff spot, with an 8:8 record. In Summer it was OMG, who finished with a 9:7 record but had two wins over the 11th place team, meaning they could have gone 8:8 and still made it. With all that said and done, here is a preview of the matches from week 5 of the LPL 2022 Spring Split.
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 5: Day 1
Match 1: FunPlus Phoenix vs Ultra Prime
The first match of the week should be an interesting one. FPX will want to recover from facing JDG, LNG and Weibo Gaming in a row. None of these matches were expected to be easy, but the team can’t falter now. They are still comfortably fighting for a spot in the playoffs. What they can’t afford to do is start dropping matches to teams that they will be competing directly against. Ultra Prime just so happen to be one of those teams.
Speaking of UP, they will be coming into this match after a shocking loss to Anyone’s Legend. Both the teams were on opposite trajectories, with UP looking good and AL struggling. However, it was Ultra Prime that walked away with the loss. They will need to pick themselves up and get ready to face FPX. While they are a bit behind the middle of the pack, they are still well in sight of them. They can’t afford to lose hope yet.
Prediction: FunPlus Phoenix
Match 2: Team World Elite vs LGD
On the topic of not losing hope, LGD and WE will play in the second match of the day. Both of these teams are at the bottom of the table, with LGD only having one will and WE having none. While hope is the last thing that dies in man, it does eventually die. Neither of these teams, at the moment, are anywhere near the playoffs, and unless they start improving in this match, it is unlikely they will make it. It is very probable that the loser of this match will be the first team to be mathematically eliminated from the race.
Neither one of these teams will want to lose here. A win in this match could be the momentum needed to move forward and make a massive push in the second half of the split. When it comes to schedule, Team WE are a bit luckier, due to them only having RNG and BLG left from the teams expected to finish near the top. Meanwhile, LGD are yet to face any team that are widely predicted to be a top-six team. At the end of the day, it is unlikely that either of these teams will make playoffs, but a win is will be a huge step in the right direction.
Prediction: Team World Elite
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 5: Day 2
Match 1: JD Gaming vs OMG
The first match of Tuesday should be a good one. JGD are on an upward swing, with their three wins being back-to-back-to-back. While the team still isn’t perfect, they have shored up many of their issues. Kanavi is back in good form, and their bot lane is popping off. While their opponents where top tier teams, they still but on good performances and managed to win comfortably against the top teams mentioned above, LGD and WE. IF JDG keep this momentum up, playoffs seems almost guaranteed.
Meanwhile, OMG are struggling with their consistency. After such a strong start to the split, going 3:0, they are currently 4:4, and while two of those losses were to EDG and BLG, one was to LGD, a team that was winless up until that moment. OMG is looking like they will play the role of gatekeepers of the LPL once again.
Prediction: JD Gaming
Match 2: EDG vs Weibo Gaming
The second match of the day should be even better than the first. Weibo Gaming are, at the time of this article’s publication, on a three-match winning streak, and are the clear favourites to make it four. This match will be key to show everyone that WBG means business. After a rough 2021, many were unsure how WBG would look after the bought-out Suning’s spot. However, they have looked much better than they did last year, and are shaping up to be one of the top teams of the split.
Meanwhile, EDG are still cruising. While they have a match to play shortly after the publication of this article, they are favourites to win against WE. Alongside LNG, they are the two undefeated teams so far in the LPL. However, EDG are yet to be fully tested, as the two strongest teams they’ve faced so far were JDG and OMG. This will be the first time this split that EDG will face off against another team expected to finish in the top six spots in the LPL.
Prediction: EDG
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 5: Day 3
Match 1: ThunderTalk Gaming vs Top Esports
Wednesday will start off with Top taking on TT. Top Esports need to find solid ground. And to do that, they are bringing in Mark, the previous support for BLG and LGD. He also played on a team with Xiaopeng before, Top’s jungler. Coincidentally, the team that both played on together eventually rebranded to become ThunderTalk Gaming. While none of the current TT players were on the roster with the two players, this will be the first time that Xiaopeng faces off against his former team.
Meanwhile, TT have finally brought in the big guns. Chieftain and Ucal started in their match against BLG. Sadly for them, it was always going to be an uphill battle, and they ended up losing. However, Top Esports are an easier opponent. They have been very inconsistent this split, and TT could look to get away with daylight robbery and steal away a win they, on paper, had no right getting.
Prediction: Top Esports
Match 2: RNG vs Victory Five
The second match of the day will be one of the better ones of the entire week. RNG will want to continue their dominance and continue hot on LNG and EDG’s heels. After a surprise loss to FPX in week one, RNG have been improving every match and are looking more and more like the team that many expected them to be. While Gala continues to raise a few eyebrows, he will be up against a bot lane that are struggling to find their identity. This match-up has everything to be an explosive one.
Meanwhile, Victory Five are also chilling. Currently 4:1, they could tie with RNG if they manage to sneak a win here. The problem with V5 this split has been their hesitation and slower pace. This has cost them in every match so far this split, as they are yet to wipe the floor with anyone in a clean 2:0 manner. All four of their victories went to three games, as did their loss. It is unlikely that this match will be any different.
Prediction: RNG
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 5: Day 4
Match 1: Anyone’s Legend vs LNG
Thursday’s first match should be a fairly one-sided one. While Anyone’s Legend did manage to return to their winning ways, beating Ultra Prime and beating LNG are two different beasts. They brought back Forge to their mid lane, making their roster identical to the one they ended 2021 with. And they picked up another win. While Maple has been exclusively the issue for AL, they have performed better with Forge, so he will likely play this match as well.
Meanwhile, LNG have their own fish to fry. While they are undefeated so far, they will face off against BLG on Sunday, and they could be handed their first loss. Nonetheless, they have an obligation to continue on and takedown AL. Improved or not, losing to a team that might not make playoffs is unacceptable, especially for a team that could win it all. This will also be their calm before the storm, as they will face off against RNG next Sunday.
Prediction: LNG
Match 2: Invictus Gaming vs Bilibili Gaming
Invictus Gaming will want to keep up their shock factor and upset BLG. After starting to fall further behind the playoff teams, IG managed to pick up a convincing win over Rare Atom. And while yes, RA aren’t a top-tier team either, they managed to play well against top-tier teams, something that IG had failed at doing. Nevertheless, IG looked dominant against RA, and IG fans can still be optimistic about their team making playoffs. However, besting RA and best BLG are two completely different stories.
After facing off against LNG on Sunday, BLG will earn a well-deserved rest. Thier next few matches are against teams that are expected to either miss playoffs completely or end around tenth. This, of course, doesn’t mean that they should take it too easy. A few of those teams have shown to still have some spring to their step, and IG just so happen to be one of those teams. A loss here would mean that BLG will fall behind the other top-four teams, and in a competitive environment like the LPL, it could be hard to recuperate.
Prediction: Bilibili Gaming
LPL 2022 Spring Split Week 5: Day 5
Match 1: Rare Atom vs LGD
Friday will kick off with Rare Atom vs LGD. Rare Atom are now desperate to get back on track. After the Lunar New Year, they had the chance to return with a match against IG, who were on a four-match losing streak. Instead, they got walked all over. They have another chance against Anyone’s Legend on Sunday morning, and if they lose that, they will be officially in trouble. No matter what, they cannot afford to lose this match against LGD, or it could be curtains for their playoffs hopes this split.
Meanwhile, LGD have the chance to get a few dubs in their corner. After a rough start to their split, they finally got a win against OMG, and then face WE and now Rare Atom. And while after they will face V5, they then face TT. It is possible that LGD could start their miracle run. But that all requires them to ride that momentum swing to victory. In both of their matches this week, both of their opponents will be just as hungry for a win as they are. They need to dot their I’s and cross their T’s and make sure that they don’t slip up.
Prediction: Rare Atom
Match 2: Ultra Prime vs Weibo Gaming
The second match of the day features the battle of the bot lane carries. Weibo Gaming and Huanfeng have been on fire so far this split, with the later of the two making a solid run to end in the final All-Pro team of the split. They will need to keep this momentum up if they want to return to the top. Previously known as Suning, Weibo Gaming had a rough year in 2021, but are now looking to return to their Summer 2020 glory, where they made it all the way to the World Grand final.
On the other side of Summoner’s Rift, Ultra Prime has been all about Elk so far this split. The wins that UP manage to find, be they match wins or game wins, more often than not come from Elk’s hands. And while the rest of the team is starting to step up to the plate, it might be too little too late for Ultra Prime. Their match against AL showed this. It’s a team game, and unless Ultra Prime manage to find themselves as a team and work together, it is unlikely that they will make playoffs.
Prediction: Weibo Gaming
Match 3: EDG vs FunPlus Pheonix
The final match in today’s article features FPX and EDG. Last year, this would have been the match of the week, especially in the Summer Split, when both of these teams made the LPL Summer Split Finals. However, this split is a bit different, with FPX starting anew with four new players on their roster. Having stumbled against LNG earlier in the split, FPX will want to show that they can still contend with the best teams that the LPL has to offer. It just so happens that the best that the LPL has to offer are the current World Champions.
Another match for EDG and another team that isn’t expected to be a top-six team. While starting the split off well is very important, especially for such a momentum heavy team like EDG, having a heavy end of split schedule could end up being bad for them. The only team that is expected to finish near them that they faced already is WBG. If they happen to be caught off-guard and start to fall back, they could end up losing very important head-to-head matches, something that EDG would much rather avoid.
And that concludes the preview of the first five days of week 5. Be sure to come back next time, to read about the last matches of Week 5, as well as the first few matches of Week 6.
Stay Connected
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers.
Follow JJ on Twitter: @NeonColouredJay