Stage 1 of the LEC's 2024 Winter Split has concluded. Read on to catch up on all that's happened and ready yourself for Playoffs!
Week One
Week 1 of the LEC was one to take with a grain of salt. Freshly off of patch 14.1, there was bound to be a lengthy adjustment period before the teams got the hang of the new items, champion changes, and the interactions between the two. At the conclusion of this unpredictable week, only one team scored a perfect 3-0 - SK Gaming. That's right, not G2, not Fnatic, no dynasty or legacy.
SK Gaming came out swinging with their Winter buff, defeating the newly reconstructed Rogue, Spring split winners MDK Lions, and, finally, on the last day of Week 1, Fnatic. While Rogue and MDK were arguably not expected to be tough opponents - both teams coming off of large reforms in their roster (MDK especially), defeating Fnatic is a feat no one can deny. But can SK keep up the pressure for Week 2 and 3, or will their power dwindle as the Split goes on, like it did in 2023?
Ending 2-1 we had a plethora of teams, including Fnatic, Team BDS, Team Heretics, G2 Esports, and MAD Lions KOI. It was exciting to see TH in action, in particular, with their roster of nearly all-former G2 players. It seems that was a gamble worth taking! Team BDS is showing the same promise they did in 2023, while G2 and Fnatic are performing as well as ever. MAD Lions KOI, their loss to SK notwithstanding, put on a terrific Week 1 performance in spite of their four rookie roster.
Trending towards the bottom of the standings, sitting at 1-2, we had GiantX and Rogue. Still adjusting to their new place in the league, GX did not have the most glorious start; however, they did manage to take a game off the veteran squad of Team Heretics. Rogue, likewise, was able to take down quite a few G2 players when they beat the team themselves on Monday.
Sharing last place with a score of 0-3 we had Team Vitality and Karmine Corp. While Team Vitality hadn't had the success they wanted in 2023, they tended to do very well in the early periods of the splits; but not this year. Arguably, they had a tough week of opponents, having to play against both Team BDS and Fnatic on Sunday and Monday. KC, similarly, faced both Fnatic and G2 in their debut LEC games, and lost quite badly, to the disappointment of their very vocal fans.
The standings after Week 1, sourced from LEC's twitter.
Week Two
Week 2 saw Team BDS claim first place by defeating SK Gaming themselves on Monday. Team BDS was able to defeat both MDK and FNC before topping the perfect week with a win against last week's top dog.
Now 4-2, SK Gaming joined Fnatic, G2 Esports, and Team Heretics in second place, the three latter teams maintaining their week 1 position. MAD Lions KOI slipped out of second place, losing out to both Team BDS and G2 in Week 2 - two, no doubt, very difficult match-ups. However, 3-3 was nothing to scoff at, and MDK had a great chance at the Playoffs.
Joining them in the middle, we had Team Vitality, who managed to bounce off of Week 1 beautifully, and end Week 2 3-0 after defeating Rogue, Karmine Corp, and, surprisingly, G2 Esports.
Vitality and MDK are not out of the red yet, but GiantX, Rogue, and Karmine Corp have much bigger worries, the three teams having only three wins between them at the close of Week 2. Rogue has only beaten G2 in the opening week, while Karmine had not managed a single win so far. If Karmine does not win all three games in Week 3, they are ending their LEC debut way sooner than anyone expected.
Week 3's schedule - last chance for Karmine Corp, sourced from LEC's twitter.
Week Three
The final weekend of the regular season concluded this Monday, cementing first place and top eight as we move into Playoffs. Team BDS started off hot, winning both their match against Team Heretics on Saturday and against Rogue on Sunday. Unfortunately, they dropped the ball on Monday, losing to Karmine Corp - thereby granting their French brothers their first LEC win. With that loss, combined with G2's first perfect week, BDS was dethroned from first place in the regular season.
SK Gaming, MAD Lions KOI, and Fnatic all ended 5-4. While SK Gaming did not achieve a second perfect week, they managed to stay close to the top throughout the regular season. MAD Lions KOI had a difficult Week 2, but were otherwise quite consistent. Though they've yet to best G2 and BDS, they consistently took down other teams, in spite of their rookie roster.
Below them, rounding out the top eight, we had Team Vitality, Team Heretics, and GiantX with 4-5 scores. Each team had one, and one separate, great week that secured them the top eight. Team Vitality had a 3-0 Week 2, counteracting their terrible 0-3 start. Team Heretics started off Week 1 great, but more and more cracks were revealed as the weeks went by. GiantX was close to expulsion before they defeated both MDK and Team Vitality at the very lost moment in Week 3.
Karmine Corp, too, had their best performance this past weekend. They were able to defeat SK Gaming and Team BDS - two very tough opponents, but it was too little, too late. Once they'd lost to Rogue on Saturday, their fate was already sealed. Even though this is definitely not what you want for your LEC debut, it might just be inevitable. What remains to be seen is if they've gained enough knowledge and experience to know how to avoid this for Spring.
Rogue, too, did not manage to get to the Playoffs. While their roster was somewhat shaken up, they seem to have achieved more or less the same results that KOI did throughout the 2023 Season, showing that their changes were not enough. They'll have to get back to the drawing board, and try to reclaim whatever they had back in 2022 when they became Summer champions, and had gotten first two regular seasons in a row.
The Playoffs bracket, sourced from LEC's twitter.
