SK Gaming and Team BDS go Undefeated
LEC Week 2: Revenge of the Underdogs
A week of upsets leaves Team Vitality alone at the top, but not undefeated, while Team BDS and SK Gaming stake a firm claim for a top 8 spot with a 3-0 week.
While the opening week of the LEC saw several of the top team step up, it was not without its surprises - G2 Esports and Vitality were undefeated,but behind them Fnatic and Excel were struggling. We also saw glimpses of the teams we expected to be near the bottom of the table being ready to do more. With only nine games and a total of three weeks before the bottom 2 teams would see their season ended, even a brief loss of form could be fatal for a team’s hopes for a successful split. So what did we see?
Day 1: BDS Start a Series of Underdog Wins
The day started more or less as we expected, as despite a good start and a valiant effort in the mid-game Astralis conceded the game to Team Vitality's heavy control composition. The next game, however, saw Team BDS trip up Fnatic, with the former FNC top laner Adam "Adam" Maanane delivering a standout performance on Olaf and running amok in teamfights to punish his former squad. Team Heretics served the next upset, defeating KOI after a very close game that was decided in a clutch fight at the Elder Dragon where Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski secured the huge buff for his team.
G2 Esports didn't have much time to enjoy their rivals' troubles, however, as SK Gaming kept pressing them throughout the game and even a key Baron steal only prolonged the game before the German organization gave the 2022 Spring champions their first loss of the season. In the final game of the day, Excel Esports and MAD Lions traded evenly early on, but a key fight 22 minutes in gave MAD two kills that they used to get the Baron and then four more kills as Excel came to fight them.
Day 2: SK Continues Winning Streak
Sunday's games started with a bout between Astralis and Team BDS, and despite a very close early game BDS dominated the mid-game, shutting their opponents in their base on the way to an easy and quite valuable victory. In the second game, SK Gaming would once more play the underdog, this time against Team Vitality - and once more they came out triumphant. Team Vitality fought back despite several big fights going SK's way, but a 4-0 for the German squad 30 minutes in signaled the end of Vitality's undefeated streak this season.
Fresh from their loss on Saturday, G2 Esports faced Team Heretic in their next game and they came out hungry for blood. The summer finalists dismantled Heretics, getting early kills and snowballing hard to win in under 19 minutes. Thankfully for Fnatic, though, their early deficit against Excel wasn't nearly as impactful - the two teams muddled on through the mid-game and a Baron steal by Fnatic extended the game until they won the key fight 34 minutes into the game. The day ended with another loss for KOI, who fell behind in the game against MAD and found no way to get back into the game after an early Baron for the Lions and suffered yet another loss.
Day 3: Code Red for Excel
With half of the winter season's first stage already gone, it was time for Excel to push itself away from the bottom, but Astralis had the same plan and started the game better. Excel got an early Baron and had a lot of gold on Patrik "Patrik" Jírů's Draven, but they were outplayed in the draft and teamfights and conceded another loss. BDS, meanwhile, completed their 3-0 week with a win against MAD Lions after yet another good Adam performance and by punishing the Lions' melee-centric composition with strong control picks. Not to be outdone, SK Gaming too went undefeated after their early game bot lane focus against KOI payed dividends and let them take over the mid-game.
G2 and Vitality didn't enter their showdown undefeated, but the excitement was no less for it. Vitality mid laner Luka "Perkz" Perković was on point against his former team and together with jungler Zhou "Bo" Yang-Bo led his squad to a decisive victory to put them alone on top of the table. The final game was a bloody brawl between Fnatic and Team Heretics, which in the end came to a good draft and heroic plays by TH's mid and top laners as the newcomers to the LCS secured the win to put them at 3:3.
Read More about the LEC:
- LEC Winter Split 2023: Schedule, Standings, Teams & More
- Our LEC MVP for Week 1: Team Vitality's Bo
- LEC Week 1: G2 and Team Vitality Rule the Roost
The LEC will return with one more dramatic superweek this Saturday, February 4th. Don't miss it!