The MSI break is over, and the LEC Summer Split is in business. Week 1 has come and gone, with varying results for the franchised organizations. We’ll grade them just like with the LCS and rank them at the end. All photos are courtesy of the LEC.
G2 Esports
Week 1 Record: 2-0
G2 are still head and shoulders above the rest of their region. After starting LEC Summer by dominating Splyce, the kings moved on to dismantling Origen. Despite looking closer to Origen than in Spring, G2 were still the better team. There isn’t too much to say about the reigning champions. Many expected them to dominate, and they did.
Grade: A+
They took down the number two and number 4 teams from Spring in convincing fashion. There were no significant perceived weaknesses. Next week they go to work against SK Gaming and Vitality, two more Spring playoff teams. G2 should handle them easily as well. Right now, only two teams look like they can even make G2 sweat, and they just beat one.
Origen
Week 1 Record: 1-1
Origen weren’t expected to start LEC Summer undefeated, and they didn’t. Despite losing to G2, though, xPeke’s boys thrashed Vitality in ruthless fashion. They showed life against the MSI champion, much more than can be said for a team rocking blue and white in NA. They were still outmacroed at every step, but it was improvement.
Grade: B+
Origen showed why they are one of the favorites to attend the World Championship in Week 1 of LEC Summer. They didn’t have the sexiest showing, but G2 looks nigh unbeatable right now. Losing to the team considered the best in the world is no reason to worry. Origen face their other rival Fnatic and the Misfits in week 2. While Misfits should be a clean win, Fnatic and Origen is always a crapshoot.
Fnatic
Week 1 Record: 2-0
Fnatic’s record isn’t quite indicative of their first week in LEC Summer. They cleaned up SK Gaming on Friday, not conceding a single tower. However, the next game against Misfits was far less efficient. Fnatic were stagnant in the mid game, allowing a near comeback from Misfits. In a meta as fast as this one, that could be fatal next time.
Grade: A-
Fnatic were the only team other than G2 that finished 2-0 on the week. On paper, this seems good, but the Misfits game featured a telling interview from Bwipo. Dissension within the team could see Broxah benched in favor of Dan, which would weaken the team significantly. Week 2 sees them face a rival in Origen and the ever dangerous Schalke 04.
Splyce
Week 1 Record: 1-1
When you take a shot at the king, you better not miss. In Week 1 of LEC Summer… Splyce missed G2 by a country mile. They were destroyed in under 23 minutes, giving up ten deaths to Caps alone. They rebounded well, though, by deconstructing their rival Vitality in efficient fashion. Xerxe in particular was near omnipresent against VIT, sporting a 80% kill participation.
Grade: B
Splyce aren’t contending with G2 any time soon. That much is blatantly obvious. They, however, still look like a playoff team with a talented roster. Week 2 has them face Schalke and XL, two opponents they should be victorious against. Look for a Splyce bounce back.
SK Gaming
Week 1 Record: 1-1
SK Gaming were a wild card coming into LEC Summer. They were pegged as a middle-of-the-pack team with a potential for upsets, and they showed it in Week 1. SK were smashed into the dirt by Fnatic before relying Schalke to throw. They went down by nearly 5k gold at one point, needing to exploit a massive overstep to come back.
Grade: C+
Let’s cut to the chase. SK were almost beaten by the team they have to beat to get to playoffs in the eyes of most pundits. It was a fun game to watch, but a scary game for SK. Selfmade looked off for a lot of Week 1, and it isn’t a good sign when your star is off. They face the best and worst teams from Spring, G2 and Rogue, next week.
Vitality
Week 1 Record: 0-2
The black and gold were ice cold in Week 1 of LEC Summer, and not in the good way. Vitality were torn to shreds by both Origen and Splyce, getting only ten kills as a team to the thirty-six of their opponents. Jizuke, the star of 2018 Vitality, finished Week 1 with a KDA of 0/9/2, the worst in the LEC.
Grade: D-
Vitality want to be contenders, but they couldn’t even begin to hang with the big guns. Cabochard was the only player that didn’t completely collapse this week. The only reason they do not get an F is because they did face the number two and four teams from Spring. Next week G2 and Rogue are their opponents, so… Yeah, things don’t look bright for the bees.
Schalke 04
Week 1 Record: 1-1
LEC Summer was hailed as a chance for a return to form for Schalke. We didn’t see that in Week 1, as they beat Excel, arguably the worst team, before throwing against SK. The SK game in particular will be a point of sorrow for the S04 faithful for some time.
Grade: C-
Schalke cannot have weeks like this moving forward. Consistently losing to SK Gaming is hurting Schalke’s stock significantly. As a team competing for the lower two playoff spots, to be that inconsistent with a gold lead is concerning. They have the toughest schedule in Week 2, with Fnatic and Splyce hungry to prove they are elite.
Misfits
Week 1 Record: 1-1
Misfits… were boringly predictable. They had an objectively perfect game against Rogue, but then looked wishy-washy against Fnatic. They went even for thirty minutes against FNC before just conceding the map off a Fnatic Baron call. If there is a positive take away, well, no one looked particularly weak individually.
Grade: C
No one really expected Misfits to go even with Fnatic in the first place. It is a bit of a worry that that they couldn’t close, but they showed life. The team may be better off without the “super team” expectations. Origen and Excel await them, so expect a repeat of Week 1.
Excel
Week 1 Record: 0-2
Roster moves looked promising for Excel before LEC Summer. Emphasis on the past tense “looked,” however. The worst part about it? Excel were eviscerated by Schalke and Rogue. They finished Week 1 with a team KD of .194. They didn’t even get one kill for every five deaths.
Grade: F––
Yes, that is right. Excel have earned an F double minus. They were destroyed by the teams who placed seventh and tenth in Spring. Now, you may have misread that. I didn’t say they lost. They were destroyed by them. This team somehow managed to look worse than 100 Thieves in NA. With Misfits and Schalke out for blood next week, Excel cannot falter again or they risk being in the basement long term.
Rogue
Week 1 Record: 1-1
Rogue actually won a game in the first week of LEC Summer! They dominated Excel the entire game, and their call ups showed some promise. Rogue were completely embarrassed on a macro level by Misfits, but there is still light at the end of the tunnel. They didn’t look like the worst team in the league!
Grade: B
Rogue get a B because this still looked leagues better than their Spring form. Inspired and Larssen looked like promising talent who could develop further as the split goes on. Woolite admittedly looked only slightly better than HeaQ, so ADC will continue to be their biggest weakness. Next week is SK and Vitality, so the boys in blue can show what they are made of against playoff teams.
Power Rankings after Week 1 (From Spring Finish)
- G2Â –
- Origen –
- Fnatic –
- Splyce –
- SK Gaming –
- Schalke 04 +1
- Misfits +1
- Vitality –2
- Rogue +1
- Excel –1
To be honest, there wasn’t really much to say in regards to the changes. The only reason Vitality moved so low is because of how dreadful they looked in the face of actual competition. Other than that, every other move is extremely evident. Tune back in to Daily Esports after Week 2 for more LEC developments.
