are the first team in the
League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) to lock in a spot in the Summer Split playoffs. A place that had been looking increasingly likely since the beginning of the split following their excellent start, their playoff spot was officially secured at the end of Week 3, on Monday, after their sixth consecutive victory against Fnatic.
The Blue Wall are also almost certain to be in Madrid on September 5 and 6 for the Roadtrip, which will feature the top four teams from the regular season for the first playoff week. This all comes as a result of KC's perfect start to the split. Currently sitting at 6-0, they have dropped just a single game so far, against G2 Esports during their home Roadtrip.
G2 and KC: The Two Powerhouses of the EMEA
The Samurai are also in excellent form this split, despite the recent change in head coach with Luka "Perkz" Perković in charge. Sitting at 5-1, their only loss came against KC in one of the best BO3s of the league's history, a series that could very easily have gone in their favor.
Statistically, they are just as likely as KC to finish in the top four and make it to Madrid, while they also have a strong chance of finishing in the top two. However, first place is no longer entirely in their hands, as they will need KC to drop at least a Best-Of in their remaining matches if they want to overtake them at the top of the standings.
The other teams likely to join KC and G2 in Madrid will be
(2-1) and
(3-2), although
(2-2) could still take the spot from either of them. The race for the top six remains fairly open, with every team still capable of fighting for the final playoff spot.
The Teams in Trouble
When it comes to the Top 4, the most important thing to note is that
Movistar KOI (2-4) are likely out of the race, meaning the Spanish organization could miss their own Roadtrip in Madrid. This would be a major blow for the event, which could see its attendance decrease as a result.
MKOI still have three BO3s to play, against NAVI, SK Gaming and Team Heretics. On paper, these are all winnable matchups for the Spanish side, but given the team’s current form, each of them could prove to be a potential trap.
Shifters and Fnatic are also in a very difficult position, with both teams starting the split 0-3, although they still have six BO3s left to play. Heretics, meanwhile, sit at 1-3 and are also part of this bottom pack that will have to fight their way into the playoffs.
Overall, no team at the bottom of the standings is completely out of the race yet, and the next three weeks should give us a much clearer picture of who will make it through to the playoffs, however, the level displayed by these teams at the bottom of the standings does not bode well for them, barring a major turnaround in the coming weeks.
