This Friday,
ended
LEC Summer Split. The Ukrainian team defeated the Spaniards 3-2 in the Lower Bracket quarterfinals. In the process, NAVI also secured a better position than in their previous two splits. After two 5th-6th-place finishes at the LEC Versus and Winter, Enes "
Rhilech" Uçan,
named Rookie of the Year just before the match got underway, and his teammates are guaranteed their first top-four finish of the year.
They have, incidentally, knocked out the team that had taken that position from them in both previous splits. More importantly, NAVI, who will be present in Nice, France, next weekend for the conclusion of the season, are still in contention for the LEC's third Worlds spot alongside G2 Esports and Karmine Corp. For GIANTX, the season may also not be over.
Two slots for the LEC
Indeed, André "
Guilhoto" Guilhoto's men could find themselves qualified
for the Demacia Cup Global Invitational on Saturday evening, Riot's new competition for the best teams that failed to qualify for Worlds. The LEC has two slots for the tournament, which will be held in China from October 3 to 17. The spots will go to the top four teams and the fifth-placed team from this Summer Split — meaning that NAVI are already guaranteed to play the first international tournament in their history, barely a year after entering
League of Legends.For GIANTX, however, the outcome is no longer in their hands, and their future now depends on the result of the matchup between
and
. Usually, when a team is eliminated at this stage of the competition, it is considered to have finished 5th-6th. This time, however, finishing fifth is crucial. The final standings will be decided by the teams' regular-season results. The fifth-place finish will therefore go to whichever of the two teams eliminated in the Lower Bracket quarterfinals had the better regular-season ranking.
Advantage MKOI?
That changes everything for GIANTX. The Spanish team finished behind Vitality but ahead of MKOI in the regular season. In other words, if Vitality were to beat MKOI this Saturday, GIANTX would finish fifth, ahead of Ibai Llanos' team, and qualify for the Demacia Cup. If, on the other hand, Javier “Elyoya” Prades and his teammates were to knock the Hive out of the Summer Split, that would bring GX's season to an end, while Vitality would qualify for the Demacia Cup.
The two teams have faced each other six times since the start of the year, with an even record (3-3). However, Movistar KOI have won both playoff matches without dropping a single game. Not exactly reassuring for GIANTX, who are also hoping to make their first international appearance. The players are obviously well aware of what is at stake, too. On X, Adam "Jackies" Jeřábek urged his compatriot, Vitality’s AD Carry Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság, to win Saturday's match. “Good luck, Carzzy, you got this, broski; send me to the Demacia Cup at least,” the Czech midlaner wrote.
