The
LEC Summer Split 2025 kicks off on August 2 with a new format: two groups of five teams, seeded based on Spring Split results.
Movistar KOI, who won Spring over
G2 Esports, headline Group A alongside
Karmine Corp,
GIANTX,
Vitality, and
Natus Vincere. Group B features G2,
Fnatic,
BDS,
SK, and
Heretics. MKOI and G2, Europe’s MSI representatives who exited early in Vancouver before G2 reached the Esports World Cup semifinals in Riyadh, were placed in separate groups, and
won't play during the first week. Here is our Power Ranking for the LEC 2025 Summer Split.
Sheep Esports 2025 Summer LEC Power Rankings. Credit: Sheep Esports
1. G2 Esports (1.5)
G2 failed to win either the Winter or Spring Split in 2025—an anomaly for a team that’s claimed at least one title every year since 2022. While their MSI run was underwhelming, they showed signs of improvement at the Esports World Cup,
eliminating Bilibili Gaming in the quarterfinals. Their struggles earlier in the year were understandable given major roster changes in two key roles: Rudy "
SkewMond" Semaan joined as jungler, and Labros "
Labrov" Papoutsakis took over as support. With time to build synergy, this G2 roster looks poised to hit its stride in the Summer Split. They’re likely headed to Worlds and currently appear stronger than both Karmine Corp and Movistar KOI.
- Ilyas Marchoude
2. Movistar KOI (2.2)
After finishing in the Top 4 during the Winter Split,
Movistar KOI surpassed their three main rivals to claim victory in the Spring campaign. The Spanish team owes its success to two key factors. First, MKOI finally managed to integrate Joseph "
Jojopyun" Pyun, thereby revitalizing a once-flamboyant mid-jungle synergy. Supported by his midlaner, Javier “
Elyoya” Prades returned to his former self — a masterful playmaker reminiscent of his peak performances. This resurgence allowed the entire team to elevate its level of play, as seen in a dominant botlane performance throughout the Spring Split. MKOI also demonstrated remarkable composure in Fearless Draft scenarios, notably securing two Game 5 victories against Karmine Corp in the playoffs. Nevertheless, KOI appeared somewhat a step below G2 on the international stage, which justifies their second-place ranking in our Power Rankings.
- Lucas Jacque
3. Karmine Corp (2.5)
Karmine Corp won the Winter Split and made their international debut at the First Stand, but struggled in Spring, falling to KOI in the Lower Bracket Final and missing out on both MSI and the Esports World Cup. As a result, they enter Summer with lower expectations and some questions, particularly in the midlane. Vladimiros "
Vladi" Kourtidis remains the starter and is expected to play most games, but
the team signed Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer as a substitute—both to support Vladi and to keep Nisqy in shape ahead of next year. While a split win or finals run seems unlikely for us, KC should still have the tools to qualify for the 2025 World Championship,
set to take place in China from October 14 to November 9.
- Ilyas Marchoude
4. Fnatic (3.8)
Fnatic is the major question mark heading into the summer. What form will the team take, as it enters a new era without Marek "
Humanoid" Brázda in the midlane for the first time since Summer 2021? The situation is all the more complex given the lack of data to properly assess the capabilities of his replacement,
South Korean player Yun "Poby" Sung-won, formerly of T1 Esports Academy. As a non-English speaker, the midlaner will likely need time to adapt — a period that could cost Fnatic dearly in the race against the top four. To remain competitive in the title race — which has eluded them since Summer 2018 — Fnatic will need to rely heavily on its botlane. Elias “
Upset” Lipp and Mihael “
Mikyx” Mehle have been the team’s most consistent performers this season, and they will bear the brunt of the club’s ambitions.
- Lucas Jacque
5. Team BDS (5.5)
Team BDS is one of the teams that made key changes for the Summer Split, particularly in areas that hadn’t worked in previous splits. Both in Winter and Spring, the team struggled on the topside, with underwhelming performances from Joel "
Irrelevant" Miro Scharoll and a lack of synergy with Doğukan "
113" Balcı. They’ve now been replaced by Shin "
Rooster" Yun-hwan, arriving from Hanwha Life Esports Challengers in the toplane, and Mehdi "
Boukada" Lahlou,
acquired from SK Gaming for €200,000—a major investment from BDS. While they’re unlikely to qualify for Worlds, we believe the team is in a much better position to challenge top contenders and play spoiler this split.
- Ilyas Marchoude
6. GIANTX (7.0)
This season,
GIANTX perfectly embodies the archetype of a mid-table team. The Spanish organization has finished 5th–6th in both previous splits — a result that seems entirely in line with the strength of its roster. The botlane, composed of Oh "
Noah" Hyeon-taek and Yoon "
Jun" Se-jun, offers enough stability to prevent the team from a disastrous showing. Continuing the form they displayed at Fnatic, the two South Korean players have been reliable throughout the season. However, GIANTX has repeatedly hit a ceiling. After a promising start to 2024, Adam "
Jackies" Jeřábek has regressed to the mean in the midlane. Meanwhile, Eren "
Lot" Yıldız in the toplane has yet to emerge as a real difference-maker. The team’s fortunes will also partially depend on the growth of jungler Ismaïl "
Isma" Boualem, who — following an initial split of adaptation — is still striving to firmly establish himself as a top-tier talent.
- Lucas Jacque
7. Team Vitality (7.2)
Third support in three splits for Team Vitality: after starting Winter with Zdravets "
Hylissang" Iliev Galabov, then trying the Nisqy bet in Spring—which didn’t work—
they’ve now promoted Kadir "Fleshy" Kemiksiz from their academy team,
Vitality.Bee. The team should still place above SK Gaming and make it out of the group stage, but we don’t see them going far in Playoffs, as the teams above look stronger and have shown more growth. Vitality have chosen to trust their rookies around Matyáš "
Carzzy" Orság, and as Fabien
"Neo
" Devide, one of the Hive’s co-founders put it: “
I told the coaches this will be their last chance. If there are no results in Summer, they’ll be let go.”
- Ilyas Marchoude
8. Team Heretics (7.5)
Team Heretics took a long-term gamble this season, opting to recruit three rookies — one of whom, Kamil "
Kamiloo" Haudegond, had never even passed through the ERL1 system. Unsurprisingly, the youthful roster built around Victor “
Flakked” Lirola has struggled against the competition since the start of the year. The French midlaner has been among those facing the most difficulty, in contrast to his compatriot on the botlane, Paul “
Stend” Lardin, who has impressed thus far. However, based on the early months of competition, it is difficult to envision Heretics overturning the established hierarchy anytime soon. The team appears destined to remain in the lower half of the standings, far removed from the top four and any realistic hope of Worlds qualification.
- Lucas Jacque
9. Natus Vincere (7.8)
Teams rarely have strong first splits in the LEC, as shown by KC in 2024 or BDS in 2022, and
NAVI doesn’t seem likely to break the trend. After recently acquiring Rogue’s slot, the Ukrainian organization had to keep existing contracts but still made three changes: Adam "
Adam" Maanane remains in the toplane, Francisco "
Thayger" Mazo Sánchez joins the jungle, Emil "
Larssen" Larsson stays mid with a salary cut, and
Lee "Hans SamD" Jae-hoon finally moves up to the LEC botlane, paired with Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong, who will role swap to support. While the new dynamic and hype could bring surprises, keeping the same coaching staff and three out of five players—including one role swap—makes a deep LEC run unlikely for NAVI.
- Ilyas Marchoude
10. SK Gaming (10.0)
SK Gaming inevitably enters the summer with the fewest certainties. After nearly committing to a full reconstruction around the BDS Academy roster — which had dominated the ERLs in 2024 — the German organization ultimately reconsidered, following two ninth-place finishes in the previous splits. This prompted a foray into the TCL, where SK sought to rebuild its project. The team has brought in
Park "DnDn" Geun-woo in the toplane and
Duncan "Skeanz" Marquet in the jungle. While the former remains relatively unknown to Western audiences, the French jungler has already had multiple opportunities in the LEC, though he has yet to solidify his place.
SK has also recalled Felix "Abbedagge" Braun, who has struggled since the beginning of the season with Disguised. All in all, the outlook for SK is far from reassuring, and the team may well find itself fighting to avoid the bottom of the standings.
- Lucas Jacque
Header Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
