The Former Rogue looks like the team to beat
LEC Winter Split Predictions
We saw many crazy transfers in the LEC Off-season, from Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski's departure to Team Heretics to the return of the prodigal son Martin "Rekkles" Larsson to Fnatic. Yet through it all, KOI, Fnatic and G2 still look like the top 3 teams of the Winter Season.
With less than two weeks until the LEC 2023 Winter Season starts, all of us fans of the best European teams are getting ready to see them in action. This prompts the good old arguments of who the best team will be this season. While the Kickoff event next week may give us a peek at the current state of the teams, it´s a risky business predicting who the best teams in the region for the entire split will be. Still, we´re going to do it anyway.
The Underdogs
10. SK Gaming
9. Astralis
8. Team BDS
7 Team Heretics
Bringing up the rear are several teams we saw struggling to find wins last year as well. Several of them have opted for major rebuilding of the team and for our money, SK Gaming is probably the one with the poorest roster. Astralis should have a leg up on them and despite a rather lackluster performance last year, we think Team BDS´choice to rely heavily on its academy team that came a game away from winning the EU Masters tournament is a good call, especially if the players keep improving.
- Looking for a new gaming PC? Check out the Captiva Advanced!
The most interesting team in the rear echelon is the somewhat hodgepodge mixture of Team Heretics. Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski has proven himself as, in our eyes, the best western jungler the game has ever seen, and the team features several promising rookies and Shunsuke "Evi" Murase. a veteran top laner famous for his unorthodox picks in the LJL. Team Heretics is a true dark horse, but for now we wouldn´t put it higher unless one of the teams above it crashes and burns. Which... is not impossible, really.
The Wildcards
6. MAD Lions
5. Excel Esports
4. Team Vitality
For our money, the spiciest take any team made in the off-season is grouping Zdravets "Hylissang" Galabov and Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság in the MAD Lions´s bot lane. With both known for aggression that at times bordered on inting, this is probably the most volatile team in the LEC. On the other hand, they also have a solid mid and jungle duo that was a big part of their good summer performance. It is a team that should not be underestimated.
Meanwhile, despite finally making playoffs in 2022 and narrowly missing Worlds, Excel Esports has chosen to rebuild its roster around its AD Carry Patrik "Patrik" Jírů. The new team has attracted rising star Vincent "Vetheo" Berrié and the veteran top laner Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu for a roster that on paper should be very solid if all the members click together. While we have some doubts about the team's jungle synergy, we'd watch out for Excel.
The last team we'd loosely classify as the mid-card is Team Vitality, who also opted for a rebuild - in their case, around mid laner Luka "Perkz" Perković. With a relatively low-demand bot lane of Matúš "Neon" Jakubčík and Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser and high-skill imports in the top and jungle, Vitality's roster looks extremely threatening if all players click together.
The Contenders
3. G2 Esports
2. Fnatic
1. KOI
G2 Esports has lost two of its signature figures, jungler Jankos and CEO Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago. However, with Rasmus "Caps" Borregaard Winther in the mid lane, a reliable top laner and a highly regarded duo in the bot lane, the team should be a threat to the top spots. Like with Excel, the jungle is a bit of a wild card, but we are inclined to give the team the benefit of the doubt.
Fnatic, meanwhile, has kept most of the roster and comes with a bot lane that has fans eager to see them. With the return of the prodigal son Martin “Rekkles” Larsson , backed up by former Academy support Rúben "Rhuckz" Barbosa who wowed us at the Worlds Play-In, we expect a solid split for Fnatic. The team's form was very volatile last summer and hopefully a more conservative bot lane could help stabilize it.
Finally, Rogue might have changed their name to KOI, but they have kept most of the roster that lifted the cup and gave the best account of the three LEC teams at Worlds. The loss of Odoamne will be felt for sure, but Mathias "Szygenda" Jensen has stepped up both on weak side champions and on carry laners. With Emil "Larssen" Larsson showing up on the Worlds stage, we think Rogue has the star power and the synergy to add another trophy to their cabinet.
Read More:
- LoL Kickoff Event For 2023 Season Announced
- LoL Players to Watch in 2023
- League of Legends: Rekkles Returns to Fnatic in 2023
The LEC 2023 Winter Season begins on January 21st - who do you think will be the new champion?