At the conclusion of three new days of competition in the LEC, it is beginning to become clearer which teams have the strongest chances of reaching the playoffs, while the task appears far more challenging for others. For some teams, however, the Spring Split has only just begun, with only two matches played so far, whereas others are already approaching the end of their regular season with six matches completed. Before entering what could prove to be a decisive week for several teams, Sheep Esports looks back at the key takeaways from this third week of competition.
Team Vitality and GIANTX remain at the top…
Two teams continue to occupy the top two positions in the standings. The first is
, still undefeated this Spring, who secured a fourth victory this Monday with a win against Shifters. Thanks in large part to the strong form of
, who has already collected four MVP awards in four matches, the team maintains its momentum ahead of more demanding tests this week against
and
.
The latter remain equally impressive, having secured a convincing and prestigious victory against
, who, as is often the case, appear somewhat measured during the regular season with a second defeat in a row. With another win the following day against
, Team Vitality now lead the standings with five victories and a single defeat.
…Team Heretics and Shifters continue to struggle
At the opposite end of the table,
and Shifters are clearly struggling in this Spring Split. Both teams suffered two additional defeats this week and now occupy the bottom two positions in the standings. Defeated by NAVI before being swept by
, Team Heretics had little opportunity to express themselves during the week.
Shifters, for their part, showed some improvement by taking a game off Team Vitality before falling back into familiar issues during the remainder of the series and again against GIANTX. Should they lose to G2 Esports next week, Shifters could find themselves under significant pressure heading into the LEC Roadtrip in Évry-Courcouronnes.
Karmine Corp make short work of Heretics
After two weeks without playing since their match on the opening day of the Spring Split, Karmine Corp returned to competition with an emphatic victory over Team Heretics. With two games won in under 24 minutes, the entire BO3 lasted less time than the first game between
and
or the opening game between G2 and Vitality.
KC fans will nevertheless have to wait another week to see their team play again against SK Gaming, before enjoying a heavier schedule during the upcoming LEC Roadtrips in their own arena.
Fnatic stumble again
Following a difficult start to the split, Fnatic showed signs of resurgence last week by defeating G2. There had been hope that the team might rediscover a competitive level capable of matching its ambitions, but this week saw them fall back into old patterns.
After a 56-minute game, Fnatic ultimately lost to SK Gaming. In the second game, the team appeared to be in a strong position with a 5.5k gold lead at 18 minutes, yet they squandered the advantage in a very short period of time and conceded a second defeat. The upcoming Roadtrip will be decisive for Fnatic’s trajectory, with the team now having two weeks to prepare.
Jopa revitalizes SK
SK Gaming’s rookie AD carry continues to drive his team forward in the competition. After securing a pentakill on Ezreal to close out the first game against Fnatic,
once again stood out in Game 2 with Jhin, claiming a quadrakill. Since the start of the Spring Split, he has arguably been SK’s most consistent performer.
While the German organization’s overall performances have often been inconsistent and somewhat chaotic this split, the Croatian ADC is doing his best to carry the team’s momentum and could potentially emerge as a candidate for Rookie of the Year by the end of the season.
An unusual schedule…
As readers may have noticed from the points above, the LEC schedule this Spring Split has not been the easiest to follow. Some teams are already approaching the end of their regular season with six matches played (Vitality, Heretics), while others are only just beginning — KC only played two matches.
The LEC Roadtrips have disrupted the rhythm of the matches, affecting the clarity of the race for the playoffs from a spectator’s perspective. Some fans and experts have begun to express frustration with the uneven pacing of the competition and the long waits between matches for their teams.
