The LEC Summer Split has already delivered its first verdict. Group B has completed all its games, and the final standings are clear. SK Gaming becomes the second team to be officially eliminated from the LEC this season, joining Natus Vincere, who bowed out last week. Their fate was sealed not only by G2 Esports, who swept them aside 2-0 with ruthless efficiency, but also by Team Heretics’ 2-1 win over Team BDS, a result that pushed SK out of contention. Had BDS prevailed, SK’s story might have gone on.

As expected, the Samurais finish on top of Group B, with Fnatic securing second place. Both teams now wait for tomorrow’s Group A matches to learn their next opponents. As a reminder, the top two teams from each group will face off in a best-of-five series, directly qualifying them for Worlds, since a top-three finish in the LEC guarantees a ticket to China.

SK's curse strikes again

For SK Gaming, this marks the third time this year they have exited at the very first stage of a split. A bitter pattern, mirrored by NAVI, who seem to have inherited Rogue’s old curse this Summer. The LEC hierarchy has been largely respected: the giants remain giants, and the most challenged ones remain at the bottom. And yet, SK had every reason to believe today could have been different.

They were simply overwhelmed by a G2 that is in what could be their greatest shape of the year. “After MSI, we have learned to play faster and more together in a way,” said Labros "Labrov" Papoutsakis in his post-match interview. “Experience helps, but consistency is very important.” That consistency, G2’s calling card throughout the year, proved the defining factor in this series.

With their own hands off the wheel, SK had to pin their hopes on Team BDS. But the Swiss team, already safely qualified for playoffs, fell 1-2 to a Heretics squad fighting for survival. The series was close, but the Spanish team seized the day, driven by a Théo "Sheo" Borile and Paul "Stend" Lardin duo that set up Victor "Flakked" Lirola perfectly to carry.

In the end, both BDS and Heretics advance — but just barely. Their qualification sends them into the Summer Split playoffs with no safety net, as the upper bracket will not be available to them. They will have to face the third and fourth seeds of Group A, which will be decided between Team Vitality, Movistar KOI, and GIANTX.

All eyes now turn to Group A. Karmine Corp could still lose their first-place spot, but only under two precise scenarios: if either Team Vitality or Movistar KOI manages to beat the other in a clean 2-0. As for GIANTX versus Natus Vincere, the final match of the day, it carries no weight in the playoff race.