It’s showtime once again as the best LEC teams kick off the summer split. Misfits Gaming remain as the sole undefeated team after 3 games, but G2 Esports, Rogue and MAD Lions look dangerous. Who will be the summer kings?
One week after the LCS kicked off its summer split, the LEC returned with a three-day opening weekend. Several teams made changes for the summer and we’ll see several new names - and a few returning ones.
G2 Avenge Spring Losses in Opening Game
Spring champions MAD Lions opened the season with a bout against G2 Esports. Both teams gave a good performance early and were nearly tied until a big teamfight 23 minutes in. From then it was all G2 - and an ace shortly afterwards gave them the win. Game two brought us Astralis starting the season with a win against SK Gaming. Despite falling behind and having to play against an infernal soul, Astralis rallied with good teamfighting and secured the victory.
Perfect start for @AstralisLoL! #LEC pic.twitter.com/83NkzoTTXb
— LEC (@LEC) June 11, 2021
The next bout of the day featured Rogue and Excel Esports - and unlike the first two, it was pretty one-sided. The spring finalists kept pressing their leads, especially after an early Baron. 24 minutes in, Excel rolled the dice with a desperate engage - only to get rolled back and have their Nexus destroyed. Somewhat surprisingly, Team Vitality did the same to Schalke 04 Esports, taking a decisive win with a clean, controlled game.
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The day ended with a bout between Misfits Gaming and Fnatic. Despite falling behind early, Misfits came back with a series of amazing teamfights, including a quadra kill on Vincent "Vetheo" Berrié’s Akali. Fnatic fought back, even securing two barons, but 30 minutes in Vetheo got his second quadra of the game to break Fnatic's defense.
Schalke's Upset
After their initial victory, Astralis took another win against Excel in the first Saturday game. With early drakes and kills on Carl Felix "MagiFelix" Boström’s Akali, they were poised to take over the game. That's just what they did with a big teamfight 22 minutes in, before ending the game soon afterwards. SK Gaming, meanwhile, looked poised to give Misfits Gaming their first loss after a great start for Mihail "twohoyrz" Petkov on Lucian. However, Misfits stayed close with a two kills and the Baron 26 minutes in they were in the driver's seat. A risky teleport flank six minutes later backfired and SK were split, routed, and defeated.
Rogue looked to have an easy game against Team Vitality after another great start. The French squad made them fight for it, however, even taking the gold lead after an early Baron. It took 31 minutes for Rogue to take over, but a 2-0 near the Baron let them secure the objective and use it for a winning push. In the next game, G2 Esports faced stiff competition from Schalke 04 Esports. Kills and gold were nearly even early on, but G2 had an advantage in dragons that led to an early infernal soul. Yet 23 minute in, Schalke managed to ace them at the Baron to equalize the game. Another big teamfight 8 minutes later secured the Royal Blues another Baron and with it, they took the victory.
After their loss to G2 on Friday, the Mad Lions were in the mood for revenge - and Fnatic were in their way. Marek "Humanoid" Brázda’s Akali took over after a double kill just 6minutes in and the Lions kept pressing the gas pedal. Fnatic tried to delay and scale but in the end, their defense faltered and they suffered their second defeat in two days.
gladlions.jpg pic.twitter.com/Jp2mfsnDEe
— LEC (@LEC) June 13, 2021
Fnatic Rise on Day 3
Excel Esports and Schalke 04 Esports had a close match for much of the Sunday opening game. Despite a proactive start, Excel had some missteps in the mid-game. It was only after a second Baron that they fully turned online, acing S04 near their base to win.
In the second game, Misfits Gaming had a good showing against Team Vitality. Misfits stayed ahead in the early teamfights, then took the Baron and the infernal soul to finalize the win and end the week undefeated. MAD Lions followed this up with an equally convincing win against Astralis. MAD controlled the map and after a failed teleport flank 26 minutes in, Astralis went for a desperate dragon play - only to get aced and suffer their first loss for the season.
The @MADLions_EN hand @AstralisLoL their first loss! #LEC pic.twitter.com/QKwpgUGrRm
— LEC (@LEC) June 13, 2021
The day continued with a bout between SK Gaming and G2 Esports. Buoyed by Martin "Rekkles" Larsson on Tristana, the 2020 LEC champions dominated the map. With their first Baron, they pushed SK inside their base, endured a last-ditch engage and cleaned up.
The day ended with spring runners-up Rogue taking on Fnatic. After their two defeats, Fnatic came out swinging, putting their opponents on the defense almost immediately. Three kills 20 minutes in gave them an early Baron and the run of the map. Seven minutes later, Rogue had to contest the second Baron but found themselves aced.
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The LEC continues next Friday with the German Showdown between SK Gaming and Schalke 04 Esports. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check our coverage at earlygame.com for more LoL news and analysis. And while there, why not sign up for MyEarlyGame for an even better experience?