What series are you looking forward to the most?
LEC Playoffs Round 1 | Who Will Play this Weekend?
It is finally time for the first week of LEC Summer Playoffs 2022! A total of 6 teams are competing to become the League of Legends European Champions and for a spot in Worlds 2022. Here are the games in the first round of Playoffs.
The LEC Summer Playoffs are always exciting to watch. Not only are the teams competing for the LEC Trophy, but they are also fighting for a sport in the LoL World Championship. This year is even more exciting for the European team, as they have one more spot than usual for Worlds 2022. In total, there are six teams in the LEC Playoffs. Four teams, G2 Esports, MAD Lions, Rogue, and Misfits, compete in the upper bracket and have a double-elimination format. Excel and Fnatic, on the other hand, are in the lower bracket and cannot afford any mistakes, as they are in a single-elimination format.
For Round 1 in Playoffs, one series will be played each day from August 26, on Friday, to August 28, on Sunday. Here are all the matches we will see this weekend:
Day 1: MAD Lions vs. Rogue
This is probably one of the closer series we will see this weekend. Mad Lions and Rogue will be the two teams to start off LEC Playoffs on August 26, 2022. Both teams had a hard time at the end of the regular season but still managed to end in second and third place. From recent years, we know that Rogue tends to choke when it matters in Playoffs, and we will see if they have finally learned from previous years and can make it to the top.
MAD Lions were not even able to make it to Playoffs last split, but with their recent addition, Nisqy, the team has significantly improved. Before the end of the regular season, many even considered MAD Lions to be the best team in Europe, but after a while, they stopped winning and managed to lose their first-place spot to G2 Esports. All in all, these two teams are pretty similar in their performance, and we do expect a close series out of this one.
Day 2: G2 Esports vs. Misfits
On Saturday, we will see G2 Esport meet Misfits. This series is definitely favored for G2 Esports, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Misfits wanting to prove what they are worth in their last playoffs run ever in League of Legends. Misfits' Vetheo mentioned in the LEC Playoffs Tease, that he is looking forward to the series, as he will be playing against the best mid laner in Europe, Caps.
G2 Esports are looking very strong right now and seems to have fixed many of their issues with the early game. Misfits, on the other hand, have also proven themselves worthy of a playoff spot, especially with their recent addition of Zanzarah. But if they are able to win against the past LEC champions can only be shown this Saturday.
Day 3: Excel vs. Fnatic
Ahh, don't you just love a loser bracket series? On Sunday, August 26, either Fnatic or Excel will have to say goodbye to their chances of becoming the European LoL Champions and the opportunity to get a Worlds 2022 seed.
Both teams have had a hard time during the regular season. Excel was considered one of the strongest teams early in the season with their "Korean boot camp buff," but they started losing more games throughout the season, and suddenly they were at risk of losing their playoff spot. However, they did prove they deserve to compete against the best European teams when they won the tie-breaker game against Team Vitality, eliminating Vitality from playoff contention.
Fnatic also had to fight for their spot in Playoffs, but after finishing the LEC Superweek 3-0, no one doubted they deserved a Playoffs spot. During a LEC Euphoria interview, Razork mentioned that he believes Excel is a strong team, and Fnatic has actually not been able to win against them during the regular season. Even though this is the case, he still believes Fnatic will win 3-1 against Excel.
Excel's top laner Finn also has extra motivation for making the LEC Finals this year. In the LEC Playoffs Tease, Finn explained how he really wanted to make it to the finals this year because the LEC Finals take place in his home country, and it is his dream to compete on home soil with all the fans cheering for him.
What are your predictions for Round 1 of LEC Summer Playoffs 2022?
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