After the third week of the League of Legends European Championship, no team keeps a perfect record after FC Schalke 04’s defeat of Rogue. The Royal Blues end another 2-0 week, this time joined by Fnatic and Excel Esports.
The third week of the LEC featured several long-awaited clashes. Many fans expected to see if Schalke could keep their winning streak going against Rogue after their stunning victory against favorite G2 Esports. The 2020 summer champions, meanwhile, would be facing off against long-time rival Fnatic. After their losing star AD carry Martin “Rekkles” Larsson and signing former Cloud9 mid laner Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer, Fnatic were off to a rocky start of the season - but fans were still hyped to see them face off against their nemesis.
LEC 2021 Spring Split: Week 3 Day 1
The day opened with a drawn-out game between Misfits Gaming and Excel Esports. Misfits had a strong early game, but were unable to capitalize on their lead.After the UK team punished a mistake at the third drake,they were able to eventually equalize the game and eventually close it out after a clutch teamfight near the baron 35 minutes in. The next game saw SK Gaming claim an upset win over 2020 breakout stars MAD Lions. SK’s bot lane got a great start of the game and proved to be the decisive factor in the first major teamfight 21 minutes in and with a gold lead and superior execution, SK didn’t give their opponents a way back into the game. If Team Vitality hoped to follow it off with an upset against G2 Esports, however, they were left disappointed. The Worlds semifinalists came out swinging, getting a clean early game (something they had struggled with so far) and kept the pressure until the end.
The next game saw FC Schalke 04 take on the lone undefeated team in the table - Rogue. The favorites had the better dragon control, but the game remained close until S04 took a teamfight in the mid lane 23 minutes in and took the first Baron. Rogue defended themselves well, but when they contested the second Baron 31 minutes in, they were aced and lost the game.
The last game of the day saw the struggling Astralis roster take on Fnatic. The underdogs gave a good account of themselves at the start, but an early Baron attempt turned into a disaster when Fnatic came to contest. The favorites took the fight and the objective to stamp their control over the game, ending the game 28 minutes in.
LEC 2021 Spring Split: Week 3 Day 2
Schalke’s win streak continued on Saturday as they handed Misfits Gaming their fourth consecutive defeat. The Royal Blues got an early first blood with a toplane gank, then secured three kills after the entire team committed to botlane fight 11 minutes in. Misfits were on the back foot throughout the game and eventually an attempt to pick off Schalke’s support Dino "LIMIT" Tot cost them three kills and left them unable to protect their nexus. Excel, meanwhile, are on a winning stream of their own, defeating SK Gaming in a game punctuated by a long technical break and a chronoshift. The German squad had a gold lead throughout the early game, but XL controlled the pace in the mid-game, secured the ocean soul and won the game after winning a key fight near the Baron.
In the next game, Team Vitality started well against MAD Lions, but a clutch Teamfight 18 minutes in saw the favorites turn it around. MAD eventually secured the Baron and took over the game entirely, ending it 27 minutes in after catching Vitality outside of their base. The day continued with a spirited challenge by Astralis, who fought hard against Rogue - but it was not enough. They had an early dragon lead that eventually led to the ocean soul and even got the first Baron - but 35 minutes in, better positioning saw Rogue secure the ace and end the game.
The final match of the day was the much-awaited showdown between Fnatic and G2 Esports. The 2020 summer champions got big advantages in the side lanes with early kills, but Fnatic clawed their way back into the game with several skirmishes and great control of the neutral objectives. Despite giving first blood just 3 minutes into the game, Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau’s Volibear became a terror in the mid-game teamfight, going 1v3 against the G2 backline in the decisive showdown. Now standing at 4-3 after their first 2-0 week this split, Fnatic is just one game behind G2 and Schalke and two behind Rogue - and, more importantly, is looking like a team that should not be underestimated.
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The LEC continues on February 12 with a match between Team Vitality and SK Gaming. For more League of Legends news and analysis, meanwhile, make sure to check our coverage at earlygame.com!