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‎‎ ‎ Introduction

Last weekend was the last one of the Spring Regular Season, and we now know which eight teams have moved on into the group stage, and which two unfortunate teams will be sitting out until the Summer Split. These two teams are, for a second Split in a row, Team Excel, as well as the newcomers, Team Heretics.

On the opposite end of the standings, we have Team BDS and Team Astralis, who ended the Split in the top two. This meant that they were able to choose their opponents in the first week of groups. Team BDS chose SK Gaming, and Astralis picked Fnatic

Without further ado, let's jump into the Week 3 recap and take a look at all that's happened in the last week of the regular season.

‎‎ ‎ Fantasy Leaderboards

Palanciuc was the top point earner of Week 3, with a whopping total of 399.9 points, more than 100 points higher than the average. The second highest point earner, lakizm, is only one point behind, so the competition is quite fierce. With the Regular Season out of the way, the Wipe Stage has begun, and fantasy coaches are able to wipe their entire teams and start anew, so the standings will likely be dramatically different in one week’s time.

‎‎ ‎ Top Player In Each Role During Week 2

TOP LANE

Adam

Team BDS

42.1 PTS

JUNGLE

Sheo

Team BDS

34.9 PTS

MID LANE

nuc

Team BDS

36.4 PTS

BOT LANE

Crownie

Team BDS

41 PTS

SUPPORT

Labrov

Team BDS

31.1 PTS

‎‎ ‎ Overall Top Player In Each Role

TOP LANE

Adam

Team BDS

102.4 PTS

JUNGLE

Sheo

Team BDS

91.8 PTS

MID LANE

nuc

Team BDS

92.1 PTS

BOT LANE

Crownie

Team BDS

110.3 PTS

SUPPORT

Labrov

Team BDS

80.2 PTS

‎‎ ‎ Current LEC Standings

Team BDS
7-2

Astralis
6-3

G2 Esports
6-3

Team Vitality
6-3

SK Gaming
4-5

Fnatic
4-5

KOI
4-5

MAD Lions
4-6

Team Heretics
3-7

EXCEL
2-7

These are the final standings of the regular season of the Spring Split. Most fans probably wouldn't have guessed that Team BDS and Astralis would be at the top, but their performances in Spring have shown that every good game they had in Winter was no fluke. Before the 2023 Season, neither of these team had any substational results, but now they have a pretty solid chance of getting to lift the LEC trophy.

Right behind them in 3rd and 4th place, G2 Esports and Team Vitality are sitting pretty at 6-3. Though Vitality hit a rough patch in Week 2, they showed dominating performances in the final two days of the Regular Season, and are likely to continue dominating if they can avoid making any fatal errors. G2 Esports have had a few bad games, namely their series against Fnatic, but overall have performed up to standard, and will be a force to reckon with in the group stage.

Fnatic, SK Gaming, and KOI are all middle of the pack with 4-5 scores to their names. SK Gaming was likely expected to do better after a fantastic Winter Split, but, in spite of having a few rough games, they performed rather well and will hopefully get some of their confidence back in time for the group stage games. Fnatic... what is there to say that hasn't been said? They've bounced back after a historically bad Winter Split and Week 1, and fans are hopeful that they will be showing up in groups with style. KOI is a bit of a wild card, sometimes executing the cleanest of games, and sometimes looking like the worst team in the LEC. They've always been very good at series though, and hopefully the best-of-three format will give them a fighting chance in groups.

The MAD Lions managed to squeeze through into the group stage after a very, very unexpectadly lacklustre Split. To come from second place in Winter to having to win a tiebreaker game to simply qualify for the group stage, in the span of a couple of weeks, is quite unusual. It's hard to know what to expect from them in the group stage, but fans of MAD Lions and Europe (internationally) are hoping they can put these bad days behind them and succeed in groups.

Finally, Team Heretics and Excel are sitting in the bottom two, and won't be playing again until the Summer Season. Heretics are new, and while this will be a dark spot on their record, they'll hopefully have enough time to make whatever changes are necessary and be back in good form next Split. Excel is missing groups for the second Split in the row, and likewise hopefully an extended break is just what they need to sort out their issues. In past years, the Summer Split didn't kick off until June, so it may be quite a while before we get to see Excel or Team Heretics play again.

‎‎ ‎ Day 1 Recap

🏁 Game One

The Saturday action began with Team Heretics and Astralis. Team Heretics, alongside FNC and XL, were on the chopping block this weekend, and really needed to score a couple of wins to secure their spot in groups. Astralis, too, needed a win, but were in a far less precarious position. Astralis drafted an exotic Zed mid lane, LIDER being a well-known assassin and AD mid enjoyer, while Heretics drafted a far more conventional comp. First Blood was secured by Kobbe in the bot lane with help from an early gank from 113. Astralis had no intention of letting TH's Zeri get ahead.

The first major fight of the game occurred at the 15th minute mark, as TH managed to pick off LIDER in the top side river. Even though the ensuing fight was a 4v5, AST managed to snag three kills for three deaths, and they came out just slightly on top in terms of gold. At 22 minutes, Astralis allowed TH to grab their second Infernal Drake without contesting, so that they could grab the Baron Nashor. The Baron Buff secured Astralis a 6k gold lead by 25 minutes, as well as two turrets. Although they gave TH one Infernal, they were not keen on giving up another. The final fight of the game erupted in the Dragon Pit; Astralis managed to secure the Infernal, then turned on TH, nearly acing Team Heretics before advancing onto their base, and ending the game.

VOD

🏁 Game Two

Next up, KOI faced off against Team Excel. Like the previous game, the two teams were 3-3 and 2-4 respectively, both still needing a win or two before securing the group stage. KOI drafted a very strong Zeri Lulu bot lane, whereas XL secured the famous Lucian Nami combo. With that, eyes were on bot lane this game, and, indeed, First Blood was snagged by Xerxe onto Comp. Trymbi was able to avenge his ADC, equalising the score. Shortly after hitting level 6, Malrang avenged Comp once again for good measure, giving Comp his first kill and Patrik his first death.

The game continued in this back and forth fashion, and 20 minutes in, the teams were nearly even across the board, though KOI had a slight edge in terms of gold and XL had two Drakes to KOI's none. At 26 minutes, XL was aiming to get the Ocean Soul, and, though KOI was there, they couldn't find the right angle to engage, and Soul was secured. Shortly after, XL went for Baron as well. This time, KOI pulled the trigger. In the ensuing fight, Malrang was able to focus down Patrik, but the rest of XL cleaned up KOI's mid and bot lane. With four of their opponents down, XL proceeded to take the Baron Nashor. With it, XL stormed KOI's base, taking the Inhibitor down, and securing nearly a 4k gold lead, before setting their sights on the Elder Dragon that was just about to spawn. KOI was finally able to pull off a great team fight in this super crucial moment, taking down XL's jungler and ADC, as well as Elder Dragon and finally Nashor. Now, 35 minutes in, KOI was suddenly in the lead. Even still, XL kept fighting, and their hopes weren't dashed until 40 minutes in when Malrang managed to Smite Steal the second Elder Dragon away from Xerxe. With this final nail in XL's coffin, KOI was able to storm their base and get ever closer to securing groups.

VOD

🏁 Game Three

Two of the four teams in first place were up next, and one of either Team Vitality or Team BDS will be in sole possession of first place after the game. Neither team drafted anything super saucy, though both teams had very strong bot lanes and tanky front lines. What was unexpected was the slow pace of the game; both teams playing super respectfully and cautiously. First Blood wasn't secured until the tenth minute when Sheo and Labrov dual ganked mid lane, taking down Perkz. Adam pulled the trigger on the first team fight of the game, as he caught both Upset and Kaiser in his Unstoppable Force, securing a kill for nuc after Team BDS had nabbed the second dragon of the game.

Vitality secured an important lead after a failed Baron attempt by BDS ended in a Double Kill for Upset and one for Bo. With this victory, VIT advanced onto Baron and, having secured the buff, ended up with a 5k gold lead at 27 minutes. Vitality was able to stack advantage after advantage, securing another two Dragons and a second Baron before BDS could retaliate in any way. Retaliate they did, however, at the 37th minute mark, as BDS was able to sneakily secure the third Baron Nashor of the game, and with it, stop Vitality's advance into their base. 40 minutes in, BDS finally got the fight they were waiting for, as Adam engaged onto a solo Perkz in the bot lane and took him down alongside his team. BDS kept going, killing Bo as he tried to misposition Crownie into Team Vitality. With Adam at the forefront, BDS was able to take the brunt of Vitality's hits and ultimately win the game, securing group stage and, for the time being, first place!

VOD

🏁 Game Four

Fnatic and MAD Lions played next, both teams desperate for a win so that they could have any hope of getting into groups. FNC drafted the deadly combo of Sejuani and Braum, as well as an usual top lane Olaf pick, while the Lions drafted a nice dive composition with Nautilus and Kai'Sa bot lane. First Blood went to Rekkles bot lane, with help from Razork and the aforementioned deadly combo of Sejuani and Braum's ability to lock targets. FNC focused on objectives in the early game, and by 18 minutes they had both Dragons under their belt, as well as Rift Herald.

After securing the Herald, a fight broke out in the top side river. Both teams managed to secure some kills, though sadly for Fnatic two of theirs went into the pockets of their support. The next important fight happened in the bot side River as MAD started the Ocean Drake. While Rekkles wasn't at the scene, his long range Super Mega Death Rocket signalled Oscarinin to go in, and, Flashing forward, Razork and him grabbed two kills and secured their third Dragon. FNC kept up the pressure, securing the Soul and Baron Nashor soon after, as well as a 5k gold lead by 27 minutes. One more fight is all FNC needed to win the game, and keep their hopes for groups alive and well.

VOD

🏁 Game Five

To cap off the Saturday games, SK Gaming faced off against G2 Esports, and one of these two teams would join BDS at the top of the standings. G2 Esports, as usual, brought out some unorthodox picks, with a top lane Cho'Gath and Hans Sama on Kalista bot lane. SK Gaming knew to be wary of G2's bot lane, and so First Blood was secured by them at minute six as the whole of SK aggressively ganked G2 from behind their turret line, killing Mikyx. In spite of all of this effort, Hans was able to acquire a lead soon after when Mikyx caught out Markoon in the bot lane with Nautilus' Q.

The first bigger skirmish occurred at minute 13 when G2 started the Mountain Drake. SK collapsed on G2 from both sides, ultimately managing to kill Yike with Sion's Unstoppable Onslaught, and secure their first dragon of the game. Though SK was staunchly in the lead in terms of kills, things took a turn as Cho'Gath caught out Doss in SK's bot side jungle. In the ensuing fight, G2 managed to take down two more. Shortly after, G2 was able to catch Markoon and Irrelevant out, opening the door to a quick Baron Nashor. Suddenly, G2 had found themselves 6k gold ahead and they never let this lead go. After a few more fights, G2 had built up enough of a lead to be able to charge into SK's base and end the game 28 minutes in.

VOD

‎‎ ‎ Day 2 Recap

🏁 Game One

Though Excel didn't get the results they wanted on Saturday, they still had a chance to make it to groups if they did well now. They faced Astralis on Sunday, a team that has unexpectedly become a true force to be reckoned with. Excel drafted a poke-heavy comp with Jayce, Heimerdinger and Jhin, while Astralis answered in turn with champions that can tear through Excel's front line and kill those pesky backliners. LIDER was looking to, once again, impress with an AD mid lane pick; this time Irelia. Him and 113 executed a perfect level three dive mid lane, killing Abbedagge and securing First Blood for the Irelia.

This gave an edge to both 113 and LIDER, and the pair had a 2k and 3k gold lead, respectively, over their opponents by minute 15. With no one on XL managing to get a lead, Irelia and Viego showed themselves to be huge problems as team fights started cropping up. One such team fight erupted at minute 21, as XL advanced towards the Baron pit in an attempt to stop Astralis from gaining a bigger lead. LIDER was able to stun and take down Xerxe, while 113 dove behind with Patrik in his sights. Meanwhile, Kobbe and Finn were able to take down Abbedagge, and with that, Astralis secured four kills and decided to forgo Nashor and go for XL's base instead. 21 minutes in, Astralis defeated XL, and secured the group stage for both themselves and Team Vitality.

VOD

🏁 Game Two

MAD Lions were up next, and in order to keep their group stage dreams alive, they needed to defeat SK Gaming. MAD drafted the uncommon Kennen top lane with Lissandra mid, though the ace in their sleeve was securing Pyke for Hylissang. SK drafted a standard comp, hoping to get Exakick's Zeri fed and keep her protected with Lulu and a tanky top lane front line. With some incredibly clean Pyke gameplay, MAD was able to secure First Blood while diving Exakick and Doss alongside their jungler at just minute 2:30. MAD kept the pressure up bot lane, securing a kill onto Hyli with the help of Nisqy and Elyoya. While the kills were equal 20 minutes in, every member of MAD Lions was ahead of their respective opponent. After securing Baron, the gold gap only grew, and as MAD grabbed the Chemtech Soul, they found themselves at a 10k gold advantage. Though they put up a good fight, there was little SK could do in the face of the incredibly fed Kennen, Lee Sin and Pyke.

VOD

🏁 Game Three

KOI faced off Team BDS in Game 3 of the day, drafting a poke-heavy composition with Varus and Ashe bot lane, and a unique Corki mid lane pick. BDS drafted up a very durable front line, giving Adam Malphite again after a terrific performance on Saturday. First Blood was taken by Crownie as Trymbi was caught out trying to get some deep vision in BDS' bot side jungle. Team BDS decided to capitalise on this small advantage by ganking bot lane shortly after. With some excellent hooks from Labrov, and a follow up from nuc, BDS was able to get not one, not two, but three kills under KOI's turret at just minute five.With that, Crownie was nearing a 2k gold advantage by minute 10, spelling disaster for KOI.

The first big team fight happened in the bot side river as KOI were attempting to grab their second dragon of the game. Szygenda was hooked into Adam and Crownie, and Malrang went for the assist, meanwhile the rest of KOI were dealing with nuc and Sheo. While KOI did manage to take down Labrov initially, the fight was turned with an aggressive Flash and ultimate from nuc, and BDS got a 20 minute ace, then advanced on the Baron. BDS took control of the game thereafter, and although KOI managed to snag a few kills and a Baron after nuc was killed in KOI's base, BDS could not be stopped from securing the win, and guaranteeing top four in the regular season.

VOD

🏁 Game Four

Team Heretics were still looking for a win that could help them up their chances of making groups, but they'd have to beat Team Vitality to do it. Vitality drafted a pretty standard comp with Zeri and Lulu and a tanky front line, while Heretics hoped that Nautilus, Jax, and LeBlanc could pierce into the backline and take the Zeri down. Both junglers were angling for a top lane First Blood, but TH secured it with an aggressive Flash forward from Evi and an even more impressive escape afterwards. Both junglers found themselves bot lane shortly after, but this time Bo was able to make a difference with a debilitating Flash + Cyclone, grabbing a Double Kill and stopping TH's Rift Herald from getting the bot lane turret. Things swung back into Heretics' favour as a fight broke out at the Dragon pit and Evi was able to snag a Triple Kill. Though they couldn't turn this victory into a Baron Nashor, TH was able to secure Nashor by forfeiting Dragon Soul to Vitality. Unfortunately, this didn't turn out to be an even trade, and Vitality were able to retake the lead in spite of the Baron buff. Shortly, they were able to secure a Baron buff of their own and, 37 minutes in, Vitality was able to take Heretics down.

VOD

🏁 Game Five

Next up, the ever-entertaining Fnatic versus G2 match-up. After Winter and even following Week 1, this match-up wouldn't interest a lot of fans, but FNC have shown grit in Week 2 and 3 and were suddenly looking solid. Expectations were that G2 would win, but if FNC could pull out an upset they'd not only get the satisfaction of beating their longterm rivals, but they'd also guarantee a spot in the Group Stage after a disappointing Winter Split. With the stakes set, we jumped into the game and got some action six minutes in. As G2 secures the Hextech Drake and starts to make a break for it, Razork is able to secure First Blood onto Caps and start his snowballing journey.

Twenty minutes in, Fnatic is 8 kills to 2, and 2k gold ahead, with Razork, Oscarinin and Humanoid holding the most impressive leads. Though G2 had managed to stay close in gold, largely due to their excellent Dragon control, things would take a sudden turn as Fnatic killed the Baron 23 minutes in. By the time Baron buff expired, Fnatic were 8k gold ahead and had taken a whopping five turrets and two inhibitors down. G2 had well and truly lost control over the game after FNC's unexpected early Baron, and after some funny base-race double TPing into the Nexus shenanigans, FNC executed one last perfect team fight to secure a win, and a spot in the group stage.

VOD

‎‎ ‎ Day 3 Recap

🏁 Game One

It was do or die for EXCEL as they faced Team BDS, who were currently (and continue to be) at the top of the standings. XL drafted some strong meta picks like Zeri, Rakan and Sejuani with Odoamne on Olaf, hoping to make a big impact with the playmaking bruiser. Adam flexed his champion ocean a little bit more today, grabbing Sett top lane, while the rest of BDS drafted more conventional picks, with an emphasis on getting to the backline. Sheo assisted Adam in the top lane to snag First Blood, then secured the Infernal Drake in the bot lane.

Some minutes later XL were able to pick up their first few kills bot lane with the help of Xerxe and some premium Zeri gaming. 15 minutes in, things would have been pretty even had it not been for Adam's huge gold advantage over Odoamne who was sadly 0-3 at this point. Unfortunately for XL, Adam continued to snowball his lead and would be 4k gold ahead of Odoamen by 30 minutes, with only Patrik establishing any kind of advantage over their lane rival. Although the Zeri was formidable, she had few tools that could help her avoid Sett's Show Stopper or Wukong's Cyclone. After taking care of Patrik in a late game team fight, BDS was able to advance into XL's base and seal the deal. With this loss, XL was out of group stage contention, for the second Split in a row.

VOD

🏁 Game Two

Next up, Fnatic faced off against Astralis. With the group stage locked in, FNC could relax after a gruelling few months of play, whereas Astralis still had a chance to secure top 2 if they continue to impress today. With that in mind, LIDER decided to whip out his Zed mid lane, while Jeonghoon picked a spicy Blitzcrank. Fnatic was able to secure First Blood and a double on Razork after an extended top lane skirmish, and while LIDER was able to take one back, he was killed by Humanoid shortly, ending this extended fight 1-3 in Fnatic's favour. In the bot lane, Jeonghoon was able to hook Advienne in, ultimately leading to Kobbe securing a Double Kill.

The game was bloody indeed, with action on every side of the rift, but 15 minutes in, FNC was the team in the lead, with 5k gold and a Dragon to their name. All of that changed after another, the fourth of the game, team fight occurred in the top lane. What started as a pick on LIDER, ended up a disaster for FNC as Finn and Kobbe picked up a Double Kill each. With that, Astralis suddenly found themselves at a slight gold advantage, and they ran with it. Astralis was then able to secure three Mountain Drakes and two Baron Nashors, before attempting to go for the third. FNC intercepted, but Jeonghoon's Rocket Grab onto Razork proved fatal for Fnatic, who, having lost three members, could not protect their base from AST, as they pick up their final win of the split, and ended 6-3.

VOD

🏁 Game Three

Heretics needed to win every game this weekend, but especially this one. Though SK had had a few rough games this Split, they were sure to be a formidable opponent all the same. SK drafted a pretty standard comp with a lot of CC and a tough front line, and TH drafted Vi, Ahri, and Nautilus, hoping to be able to punch, charm, and Depth Charge through it. First Blood was secured by Heretics in the bot lane just as Jankos hit level six. They were able to get a few more kills after a prolonged skirmish in the bot side jungle - Sertuss nabbed two kills, but so did Ruby, and Jankos got a kill of his own. With those leads, TH was able to steamroll the next team fight, and, at the cost of one Mersa, TH was able to secure a Double Kill for Jackspektra, and another kill for Jankos and Ruby. Heretics were able to stack advantage after advantage in the wake of that team fight, acing SK Gaming at 28 minutes and securing Ocean Soul. 31 minutes in, Heretics stormed SK's base and, with Baron empowered minions, bulldozed their Nexus turrets. In spite of this dominating win, Heretics would still not secure the group stage. They needed to hope MAD Lions lose their next game, and instigate tiebreakers.

VOD

🏁 Game Four

After their rather one-sided loss yesterday, MAD Lions fans were hoping G2 would fumble another game. Heretics and G2 fans were hoping for the opposite. Both teams drafted poke-heavy bot lanes, with G2 picking up a hardier front line and MAD grabbing some more poke and burst for good measure. Caps was able to engage mid lane and help Yike help him help G2 help Heretics get the first kill of the game, but Elyoya had different plans, and, charging in, he was able to grab First Blood for himself instead, though Caps got one back. In the top lane, BrokenBlade was able to get a solo kill, while MAD's bot lane got some jungle help and took down Mikyx.

Though Elyoya was having a great game, the small advantages G2 earned allowed BrokenBlade and Caps to snowball fast, and by 10 minutes, three members of G2 were up 1k gold of their opponents. These advantages doubled by 15 minutes, and the game itself quickly began to snowball out of MAD's control. Although MAD got some good plays in here and there, they had no answer for the 10-1 Olaf or the 9 kill Sylas, and by 28 minutes G2 was able to seal the deal. Their victory here meant there would be at least one tiebreaker at the end of the day, which would decide whether MAD or TH would advance to groups.

VOD

🏁 Game Five

The penultimate game of the regular season was between KOI and Team Vitality. KOI drafted lots of CC with a tanky front line consisting of K'Sante and Xin Zhao, while Vitality had a strong team fight draft with Aurelion Sol, Sejuani, and Braum. First Blood went to Bo after a close fight with Malrang in the top lane. Bo made it 2 for 2 by ganking mid lane shortly after, and then 3 for 3 by gifting Upset a kill in the bot side of KOI's jungle. 15 minutes in Bo and Upset were both about 2k ahead of their opponents with no signs of slowing down. Being so far ahead, Vitality decided to take an early Baron Nashor. By the time the buff expired, Vitality were a whopping 13k gold ahead, having demolished 7 turrets in total and secured the Hextech Soul. In all of this, KOI still had only kill to their name, and had absolutely no chance of fighting back. The game ended 26 minutes in, and with this dominating performance, Vitality was ready to show off in the group stage.

VOD

🏁 Tiebreaker

The final game of the Spring Split was a tiebreaker between MAD Lions and Team Heretics. Both teams had advanced beyond Regular Season in Winter, heck, MAD Lions were second place. However, one of these two teams was about to sit out until Summer. MAD was able to secure a great team fighting comp with Maokai, Azir, and Rakan, while Heretics drafted an unusual Taliyah mid lane and were perhaps angling for an aggressive diving comp with Renekton, Nautilus and Wukong as well. With stakes so high, the game started off quite slow, but First Blood was finally secured 10 minutes in by Jankos, as TH dove Carzzy and Hylissang bot lane. MAD responded, taking Ruby down first and Mersa after. 15 minutes in, in spite of how carefully the game had been played up until now, Carzzy had 3 kills and nearly a 2k gold advantage over Jack, though the Zeri gaming was only just starting. 20 minutes in, Carzzy was 6-0 and Nisqy was starting become troublesome as well.

Having killed Jankos, MAD advanced upon Baron Nashor just as it spawned, and were able to expand their gold lead to 6k by the time the buff expired. As MAD was besieging the inner top lane turret, TH finally found a great fight. Mersa hooked Chasy under the turret and TH made quick work of him. They pressed on, taking three more and getting Jackspektra a Double Kill. In the wake of the fight, TH was able to deny MAD the Hextech Soul, but MAD got their second Baron in trade. This turned out to be a fruitful trade as 33 minutes in the two teams were suddenly equal in gold. It all came crashing on TH after MAD was able to secure that Soul. The team fight started off great, and TH was able to kill both Elyoya and Nisqy. Chasy was able to keep Evi distracted while Carzzy started going to town on the rest of Team Heretics, even in a 3v5. After Carzzy's Triple Kill and ace, the MAD Lions were able to just walk into the Heretics base and unceremoniously end the game, securing Group Stage for the Spring Split.

VOD

[quote=Jovy][center][img=https://www.mobafire.com/images/news/lec-spring-23-week-3.jpg][/center] [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Introduction[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] Last weekend was the last one of the Spring Regular Season, and we now know which eight teams have moved on into the group stage, and which two unfortunate teams will be sitting out until the Summer Split. These two teams are, for a second Split in a row, Team Excel, as well as the newcomers, Team Heretics. On the opposite end of the standings, we have Team BDS and Team Astralis, who ended the Split in the top two. This meant that they were able to choose their opponents in the first week of groups. Team BDS chose SK Gaming, and Astralis picked Fnatic Without further ado, let's jump into the Week 3 recap and take a look at all that's happened in the last week of the regular season. [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Fantasy Leaderboards[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [center][img=https://i.imgur.com/FUsj9qb.png][/center] Palanciuc was the top point earner of Week 3, with a whopping total of 399.9 points, more than 100 points higher than the average. The second highest point earner, lakizm, is only one point behind, so the competition is quite fierce. With the Regular Season out of the way, the Wipe Stage has begun, and fantasy coaches are able to wipe their entire teams and start anew, so the standings will likely be dramatically different in one week’s time. [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Top Player In Each Role During Week 2[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [center][columns] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/w9EsS8G.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]TOP LANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/0/07/BDS_Adam_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Adam[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]42.1 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/tSXz5QB.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]JUNGLE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/d/d7/BDS_Sheo_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Sheo[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]34.9 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/aQyqQwd.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]MID LANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/b/ba/BDS_nuc_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]nuc[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]36.4 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]BOT LANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/e/ee/BDS_Crownie_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Crownie[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]41 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/XsdpYZL.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]SUPPORT[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/5/53/BDS_Labrov_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Labrov[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]31.1 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/columns][/center] [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Overall Top Player In Each Role[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [center][columns] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/w9EsS8G.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]TOP LANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/0/07/BDS_Adam_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Adam[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]102.4 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/tSXz5QB.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]JUNGLE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/d/d7/BDS_Sheo_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Sheo[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]91.8 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/aQyqQwd.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]MID LANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/b/ba/BDS_nuc_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]nuc[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]92.1 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]BOT LANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/e/ee/BDS_Crownie_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Crownie[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]110.3 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [nextcol] [table width=160 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0075" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/XsdpYZL.png width=20][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=4][b][color=#ffffff]SUPPORT[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/5/53/BDS_Labrov_2023_Split_1.png height=100][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0075][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Labrov[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#091120][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=3][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]80.2 PTS[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/columns][/center] [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Current LEC Standings[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [columns][columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]1[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]Team BDS[/size] [size=4]7-2[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]2[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/zd8hCAE.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]Astralis[/size] [size=4]6-3[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]3[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/TYPqpy2.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]G2 Esports[/size] [size=4]6-3[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]4[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/RAEyIrM.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]Team Vitality[/size] [size=4]6-3[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]5[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]SK Gaming[/size] [size=4]4-5[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]6[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/7fnXiXJ.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]Fnatic[/size] [size=4]4-5[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]7[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/wQILEq6.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]KOI[/size] [size=4]4-5[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]8[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img= https://i.imgur.com/drwKI9w.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]MAD Lions[/size] [size=4]4-6[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]9[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/U7bjp0u.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]Team Heretics[/size] [size=4]3-7[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [columns][nextcol width=35][size=6][b][color=white]10[/color][/size][/b][nextcol width=20][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/uTTwXWc.png height=75][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][b][color=white]EXCEL[/size] [size=4]2-7[/color][/size][/b][/columns] [nextcol width=50][nextcol width=500] These are the final standings of the regular season of the Spring Split. Most fans probably wouldn't have guessed that Team BDS and Astralis would be at the top, but their performances in Spring have shown that every good game they had in Winter was no fluke. Before the 2023 Season, neither of these team had any substational results, but now they have a pretty solid chance of getting to lift the LEC trophy. Right behind them in 3rd and 4th place, G2 Esports and Team Vitality are sitting pretty at 6-3. Though Vitality hit a rough patch in Week 2, they showed dominating performances in the final two days of the Regular Season, and are likely to continue dominating if they can avoid making any fatal errors. G2 Esports have had a few bad games, namely their series against Fnatic, but overall have performed up to standard, and will be a force to reckon with in the group stage. Fnatic, SK Gaming, and KOI are all middle of the pack with 4-5 scores to their names. SK Gaming was likely expected to do better after a fantastic Winter Split, but, in spite of having a few rough games, they performed rather well and will hopefully get some of their confidence back in time for the group stage games. Fnatic... what is there to say that hasn't been said? They've bounced back after a historically bad Winter Split and Week 1, and fans are hopeful that they will be showing up in groups with style. KOI is a bit of a wild card, sometimes executing the cleanest of games, and sometimes looking like the worst team in the LEC. They've always been very good at series though, and hopefully the best-of-three format will give them a fighting chance in groups. The MAD Lions managed to squeeze through into the group stage after a very, very unexpectadly lacklustre Split. To come from second place in Winter to having to win a tiebreaker game to simply qualify for the group stage, in the span of a couple of weeks, is quite unusual. It's hard to know what to expect from them in the group stage, but fans of MAD Lions and Europe (internationally) are hoping they can put these bad days behind them and succeed in groups. Finally, Team Heretics and Excel are sitting in the bottom two, and won't be playing again until the Summer Season. Heretics are new, and while this will be a dark spot on their record, they'll hopefully have enough time to make whatever changes are necessary and be back in good form next Split. Excel is missing groups for the second Split in the row, and likewise hopefully an extended break is just what they need to sort out their issues. In past years, the Summer Split didn't kick off until June, so it may be quite a while before we get to see Excel or Team Heretics play again. [img=https://i.imgur.com/0ujmuPe.png height=225] [/columns] [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Day 1 Recap[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/U7bjp0u.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/zd8hCAE.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game One[/b][/size][/center] The Saturday action began with Team Heretics and Astralis. Team Heretics, alongside FNC and XL, were on the chopping block this weekend, and really needed to score a couple of wins to secure their spot in groups. Astralis, too, needed a win, but were in a far less precarious position. Astralis drafted an exotic Zed mid lane, LIDER being a well-known assassin and AD mid enjoyer, while Heretics drafted a far more conventional comp. First Blood was secured by Kobbe in the bot lane with help from an early gank from 113. Astralis had no intention of letting TH's Zeri get ahead. The first major fight of the game occurred at the 15th minute mark, as TH managed to pick off LIDER in the top side river. Even though the ensuing fight was a 4v5, AST managed to snag three kills for three deaths, and they came out just slightly on top in terms of gold. At 22 minutes, Astralis allowed TH to grab their second Infernal Drake without contesting, so that they could grab the Baron Nashor. The Baron Buff secured Astralis a 6k gold lead by 25 minutes, as well as two turrets. Although they gave TH one Infernal, they were not keen on giving up another. The final fight of the game erupted in the Dragon Pit; Astralis managed to secure the Infernal, then turned on TH, nearly acing Team Heretics before advancing onto their base, and ending the game. [/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0000][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onzi-Ta29pw][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0000][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/wQILEq6.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/uTTwXWc.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Two[/b][/size][/center] Next up, KOI faced off against Team Excel. Like the previous game, the two teams were 3-3 and 2-4 respectively, both still needing a win or two before securing the group stage. KOI drafted a very strong Zeri Lulu bot lane, whereas XL secured the famous Lucian Nami combo. With that, eyes were on bot lane this game, and, indeed, First Blood was snagged by Xerxe onto Comp. Trymbi was able to avenge his ADC, equalising the score. Shortly after hitting level 6, Malrang avenged Comp once again for good measure, giving Comp his first kill and Patrik his first death. The game continued in this back and forth fashion, and 20 minutes in, the teams were nearly even across the board, though KOI had a slight edge in terms of gold and XL had two Drakes to KOI's none. At 26 minutes, XL was aiming to get the Ocean Soul, and, though KOI was there, they couldn't find the right angle to engage, and Soul was secured. Shortly after, XL went for Baron as well. This time, KOI pulled the trigger. In the ensuing fight, Malrang was able to focus down Patrik, but the rest of XL cleaned up KOI's mid and bot lane. With four of their opponents down, XL proceeded to take the Baron Nashor. With it, XL stormed KOI's base, taking the Inhibitor down, and securing nearly a 4k gold lead, before setting their sights on the Elder Dragon that was just about to spawn. KOI was finally able to pull off a great team fight in this super crucial moment, taking down XL's jungler and ADC, as well as Elder Dragon and finally Nashor. Now, 35 minutes in, KOI was suddenly in the lead. Even still, XL kept fighting, and their hopes weren't dashed until 40 minutes in when Malrang managed to Smite Steal the second Elder Dragon away from Xerxe. With this final nail in XL's coffin, KOI was able to storm their base and get ever closer to securing groups.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=7f4ecf][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDJ5Y3sFVzo][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=7f4ecf][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/RAEyIrM.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Three[/b][/size][/center] Two of the four teams in first place were up next, and one of either Team Vitality or Team BDS will be in sole possession of first place after the game. Neither team drafted anything super saucy, though both teams had very strong bot lanes and tanky front lines. What was unexpected was the slow pace of the game; both teams playing super respectfully and cautiously. First Blood wasn't secured until the tenth minute when Sheo and Labrov dual ganked mid lane, taking down Perkz. Adam pulled the trigger on the first team fight of the game, as he caught both Upset and Kaiser in his Unstoppable Force, securing a kill for nuc after Team BDS had nabbed the second dragon of the game. Vitality secured an important lead after a failed Baron attempt by BDS ended in a Double Kill for Upset and one for Bo. With this victory, VIT advanced onto Baron and, having secured the buff, ended up with a 5k gold lead at 27 minutes. Vitality was able to stack advantage after advantage, securing another two Dragons and a second Baron before BDS could retaliate in any way. Retaliate they did, however, at the 37th minute mark, as BDS was able to sneakily secure the third Baron Nashor of the game, and with it, stop Vitality's advance into their base. 40 minutes in, BDS finally got the fight they were waiting for, as Adam engaged onto a solo Perkz in the bot lane and took him down alongside his team. BDS kept going, killing Bo as he tried to misposition Crownie into Team Vitality. With Adam at the forefront, BDS was able to take the brunt of Vitality's hits and ultimately win the game, securing group stage and, for the time being, first place! [/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0075][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApUb5ALflog][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0075][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/7fnXiXJ.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/drwKI9w.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Four[/b][/size][/center] Fnatic and MAD Lions played next, both teams desperate for a win so that they could have any hope of getting into groups. FNC drafted the deadly combo of Sejuani and Braum, as well as an usual top lane Olaf pick, while the Lions drafted a nice dive composition with Nautilus and Kai'Sa bot lane. First Blood went to Rekkles bot lane, with help from Razork and the aforementioned deadly combo of Sejuani and Braum's ability to lock targets. FNC focused on objectives in the early game, and by 18 minutes they had both Dragons under their belt, as well as Rift Herald. After securing the Herald, a fight broke out in the top side river. Both teams managed to secure some kills, though sadly for Fnatic two of theirs went into the pockets of their support. The next important fight happened in the bot side River as MAD started the Ocean Drake. While Rekkles wasn't at the scene, his long range Super Mega Death Rocket signalled Oscarinin to go in, and, Flashing forward, Razork and him grabbed two kills and secured their third Dragon. FNC kept up the pressure, securing the Soul and Baron Nashor soon after, as well as a 5k gold lead by 27 minutes. One more fight is all FNC needed to win the game, and keep their hopes for groups alive and well.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=fe5900][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SFg8l8sgmU][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=fe5900][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/TYPqpy2.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Five[/b][/size][/center] To cap off the Saturday games, SK Gaming faced off against G2 Esports, and one of these two teams would join BDS at the top of the standings. G2 Esports, as usual, brought out some unorthodox picks, with a top lane Cho'Gath and Hans Sama on Kalista bot lane. SK Gaming knew to be wary of G2's bot lane, and so First Blood was secured by them at minute six as the whole of SK aggressively ganked G2 from behind their turret line, killing Mikyx. In spite of all of this effort, Hans was able to acquire a lead soon after when Mikyx caught out Markoon in the bot lane with Nautilus' Q. The first bigger skirmish occurred at minute 13 when G2 started the Mountain Drake. SK collapsed on G2 from both sides, ultimately managing to kill Yike with Sion's Unstoppable Onslaught, and secure their first dragon of the game. Though SK was staunchly in the lead in terms of kills, things took a turn as Cho'Gath caught out Doss in SK's bot side jungle. In the ensuing fight, G2 managed to take down two more. Shortly after, G2 was able to catch Markoon and Irrelevant out, opening the door to a quick Baron Nashor. Suddenly, G2 had found themselves 6k gold ahead and they never let this lead go. After a few more fights, G2 had built up enough of a lead to be able to charge into SK's base and end the game 28 minutes in.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=e81f24][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5s3vkmetpU][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=e81f24][/td][/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Day 2 Recap[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/uTTwXWc.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/zd8hCAE.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game One[/b][/size][/center] Though Excel didn't get the results they wanted on Saturday, they still had a chance to make it to groups if they did well now. They faced Astralis on Sunday, a team that has unexpectedly become a true force to be reckoned with. Excel drafted a poke-heavy comp with Jayce, Heimerdinger and Jhin, while Astralis answered in turn with champions that can tear through Excel's front line and kill those pesky backliners. LIDER was looking to, once again, impress with an AD mid lane pick; this time Irelia. Him and 113 executed a perfect level three dive mid lane, killing Abbedagge and securing First Blood for the Irelia. This gave an edge to both 113 and LIDER, and the pair had a 2k and 3k gold lead, respectively, over their opponents by minute 15. With no one on XL managing to get a lead, Irelia and Viego showed themselves to be huge problems as team fights started cropping up. One such team fight erupted at minute 21, as XL advanced towards the Baron pit in an attempt to stop Astralis from gaining a bigger lead. LIDER was able to stun and take down Xerxe, while 113 dove behind with Patrik in his sights. Meanwhile, Kobbe and Finn were able to take down Abbedagge, and with that, Astralis secured four kills and decided to forgo Nashor and go for XL's base instead. 21 minutes in, Astralis defeated XL, and secured the group stage for both themselves and Team Vitality.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0000][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erfroj68h9E][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0000][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/drwKI9w.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Two[/b][/size][/center] MAD Lions were up next, and in order to keep their group stage dreams alive, they needed to defeat SK Gaming. MAD drafted the uncommon Kennen top lane with Lissandra mid, though the ace in their sleeve was securing Pyke for Hylissang. SK drafted a standard comp, hoping to get Exakick's Zeri fed and keep her protected with Lulu and a tanky top lane front line. With some incredibly clean Pyke gameplay, MAD was able to secure First Blood while diving Exakick and Doss alongside their jungler at just minute 2:30. MAD kept the pressure up bot lane, securing a kill onto Hyli with the help of Nisqy and Elyoya. While the kills were equal 20 minutes in, every member of MAD Lions was ahead of their respective opponent. After securing Baron, the gold gap only grew, and as MAD grabbed the Chemtech Soul, they found themselves at a 10k gold advantage. Though they put up a good fight, there was little SK could do in the face of the incredibly fed Kennen, Lee Sin and Pyke.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ebbc4e][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpgG6Xfc2ZM][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ebbc4e][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/wQILEq6.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Three[/b][/size][/center] KOI faced off Team BDS in Game 3 of the day, drafting a poke-heavy composition with Varus and Ashe bot lane, and a unique Corki mid lane pick. BDS drafted up a very durable front line, giving Adam Malphite again after a terrific performance on Saturday. First Blood was taken by Crownie as Trymbi was caught out trying to get some deep vision in BDS' bot side jungle. Team BDS decided to capitalise on this small advantage by ganking bot lane shortly after. With some excellent hooks from Labrov, and a follow up from nuc, BDS was able to get not one, not two, but three kills under KOI's turret at just minute five.With that, Crownie was nearing a 2k gold advantage by minute 10, spelling disaster for KOI. The first big team fight happened in the bot side river as KOI were attempting to grab their second dragon of the game. Szygenda was hooked into Adam and Crownie, and Malrang went for the assist, meanwhile the rest of KOI were dealing with nuc and Sheo. While KOI did manage to take down Labrov initially, the fight was turned with an aggressive Flash and ultimate from nuc, and BDS got a 20 minute ace, then advanced on the Baron. BDS took control of the game thereafter, and although KOI managed to snag a few kills and a Baron after nuc was killed in KOI's base, BDS could not be stopped from securing the win, and guaranteeing top four in the regular season.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0075][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptrYogP3cp8][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0075][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/RAEyIrM.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/U7bjp0u.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Four[/b][/size][/center] Team Heretics were still looking for a win that could help them up their chances of making groups, but they'd have to beat Team Vitality to do it. Vitality drafted a pretty standard comp with Zeri and Lulu and a tanky front line, while Heretics hoped that Nautilus, Jax, and LeBlanc could pierce into the backline and take the Zeri down. Both junglers were angling for a top lane First Blood, but TH secured it with an aggressive Flash forward from Evi and an even more impressive escape afterwards. Both junglers found themselves bot lane shortly after, but this time Bo was able to make a difference with a debilitating Flash + Cyclone, grabbing a Double Kill and stopping TH's Rift Herald from getting the bot lane turret. Things swung back into Heretics' favour as a fight broke out at the Dragon pit and Evi was able to snag a Triple Kill. Though they couldn't turn this victory into a Baron Nashor, TH was able to secure Nashor by forfeiting Dragon Soul to Vitality. Unfortunately, this didn't turn out to be an even trade, and Vitality were able to retake the lead in spite of the Baron buff. Shortly, they were able to secure a Baron buff of their own and, 37 minutes in, Vitality was able to take Heretics down.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ffff00][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZHzXC79m5g][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ffff00][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/TYPqpy2.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/7fnXiXJ.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Five[/b][/size][/center] Next up, the ever-entertaining Fnatic versus G2 match-up. After Winter and even following Week 1, this match-up wouldn't interest a lot of fans, but FNC have shown grit in Week 2 and 3 and were suddenly looking solid. Expectations were that G2 would win, but if FNC could pull out an upset they'd not only get the satisfaction of beating their longterm rivals, but they'd also guarantee a spot in the Group Stage after a disappointing Winter Split. With the stakes set, we jumped into the game and got some action six minutes in. As G2 secures the Hextech Drake and starts to make a break for it, Razork is able to secure First Blood onto Caps and start his snowballing journey. Twenty minutes in, Fnatic is 8 kills to 2, and 2k gold ahead, with Razork, Oscarinin and Humanoid holding the most impressive leads. Though G2 had managed to stay close in gold, largely due to their excellent Dragon control, things would take a sudden turn as Fnatic killed the Baron 23 minutes in. By the time Baron buff expired, Fnatic were 8k gold ahead and had taken a whopping five turrets and two inhibitors down. G2 had well and truly lost control over the game after FNC's unexpected early Baron, and after some funny base-race double TPing into the Nexus shenanigans, FNC executed one last perfect team fight to secure a win, and a spot in the group stage.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=e81f24][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei-TKxrpTvw][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=e81f24][/td][/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Day 3 Recap[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/HGEgWOm.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/uTTwXWc.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game One[/b][/size][/center] It was do or die for EXCEL as they faced Team BDS, who were currently (and continue to be) at the top of the standings. XL drafted some strong meta picks like Zeri, Rakan and Sejuani with Odoamne on Olaf, hoping to make a big impact with the playmaking bruiser. Adam flexed his champion ocean a little bit more today, grabbing Sett top lane, while the rest of BDS drafted more conventional picks, with an emphasis on getting to the backline. Sheo assisted Adam in the top lane to snag First Blood, then secured the Infernal Drake in the bot lane. Some minutes later XL were able to pick up their first few kills bot lane with the help of Xerxe and some premium Zeri gaming. 15 minutes in, things would have been pretty even had it not been for Adam's huge gold advantage over Odoamne who was sadly 0-3 at this point. Unfortunately for XL, Adam continued to snowball his lead and would be 4k gold ahead of Odoamen by 30 minutes, with only Patrik establishing any kind of advantage over their lane rival. Although the Zeri was formidable, she had few tools that could help her avoid Sett's Show Stopper or Wukong's Cyclone. After taking care of Patrik in a late game team fight, BDS was able to advance into XL's base and seal the deal. With this loss, XL was out of group stage contention, for the second Split in a row.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0075][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8liIOoCr1ws][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0075][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/zd8hCAE.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/7fnXiXJ.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Two[/b][/size][/center] Next up, Fnatic faced off against Astralis. With the group stage locked in, FNC could relax after a gruelling few months of play, whereas Astralis still had a chance to secure top 2 if they continue to impress today. With that in mind, LIDER decided to whip out his Zed mid lane, while Jeonghoon picked a spicy Blitzcrank. Fnatic was able to secure First Blood and a double on Razork after an extended top lane skirmish, and while LIDER was able to take one back, he was killed by Humanoid shortly, ending this extended fight 1-3 in Fnatic's favour. In the bot lane, Jeonghoon was able to hook Advienne in, ultimately leading to Kobbe securing a Double Kill. The game was bloody indeed, with action on every side of the rift, but 15 minutes in, FNC was the team in the lead, with 5k gold and a Dragon to their name. All of that changed after another, the fourth of the game, team fight occurred in the top lane. What started as a pick on LIDER, ended up a disaster for FNC as Finn and Kobbe picked up a Double Kill each. With that, Astralis suddenly found themselves at a slight gold advantage, and they ran with it. Astralis was then able to secure three Mountain Drakes and two Baron Nashors, before attempting to go for the third. FNC intercepted, but Jeonghoon's Rocket Grab onto Razork proved fatal for Fnatic, who, having lost three members, could not protect their base from AST, as they pick up their final win of the split, and ended 6-3.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0000][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGDSsuC_018][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ff0000][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/U7bjp0u.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img= https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Three[/b][/size][/center] Heretics needed to win every game this weekend, but especially this one. Though SK had had a few rough games this Split, they were sure to be a formidable opponent all the same. SK drafted a pretty standard comp with a lot of CC and a tough front line, and TH drafted Vi, Ahri, and Nautilus, hoping to be able to punch, charm, and Depth Charge through it. First Blood was secured by Heretics in the bot lane just as Jankos hit level six. They were able to get a few more kills after a prolonged skirmish in the bot side jungle - Sertuss nabbed two kills, but so did Ruby, and Jankos got a kill of his own. With those leads, TH was able to steamroll the next team fight, and, at the cost of one Mersa, TH was able to secure a Double Kill for Jackspektra, and another kill for Jankos and Ruby. Heretics were able to stack advantage after advantage in the wake of that team fight, acing SK Gaming at 28 minutes and securing Ocean Soul. 31 minutes in, Heretics stormed SK's base and, with Baron empowered minions, bulldozed their Nexus turrets. In spite of this dominating win, Heretics would still not secure the group stage. They needed to hope MAD Lions lose their next game, and instigate tiebreakers.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=dba612][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UfnAwKrfiU][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=dba612][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/drwKI9w.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/TYPqpy2.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Four[/b][/size][/center] After their rather one-sided loss yesterday, MAD Lions fans were hoping G2 would fumble another game. Heretics and G2 fans were hoping for the opposite. Both teams drafted poke-heavy bot lanes, with G2 picking up a hardier front line and MAD grabbing some more poke and burst for good measure. Caps was able to engage mid lane and help Yike help him help G2 help Heretics get the first kill of the game, but Elyoya had different plans, and, charging in, he was able to grab First Blood for himself instead, though Caps got one back. In the top lane, BrokenBlade was able to get a solo kill, while MAD's bot lane got some jungle help and took down Mikyx. Though Elyoya was having a great game, the small advantages G2 earned allowed BrokenBlade and Caps to snowball fast, and by 10 minutes, three members of G2 were up 1k gold of their opponents. These advantages doubled by 15 minutes, and the game itself quickly began to snowball out of MAD's control. Although MAD got some good plays in here and there, they had no answer for the 10-1 Olaf or the 9 kill Sylas, and by 28 minutes G2 was able to seal the deal. Their victory here meant there would be at least one tiebreaker at the end of the day, which would decide whether MAD or TH would advance to groups.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=e81f24][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffhuFR8uRHU][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=e81f24][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/wQILEq6.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img= https://i.imgur.com/RAEyIrM.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Game Five[/b][/size][/center] The penultimate game of the regular season was between KOI and Team Vitality. KOI drafted lots of CC with a tanky front line consisting of K'Sante and Xin Zhao, while Vitality had a strong team fight draft with Aurelion Sol, Sejuani, and Braum. First Blood went to Bo after a close fight with Malrang in the top lane. Bo made it 2 for 2 by ganking mid lane shortly after, and then 3 for 3 by gifting Upset a kill in the bot side of KOI's jungle. 15 minutes in Bo and Upset were both about 2k ahead of their opponents with no signs of slowing down. Being so far ahead, Vitality decided to take an early Baron Nashor. By the time the buff expired, Vitality were a whopping 13k gold ahead, having demolished 7 turrets in total and secured the Hextech Soul. In all of this, KOI still had only kill to their name, and had absolutely no chance of fighting back. The game ended 26 minutes in, and with this dominating performance, Vitality was ready to show off in the group stage.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ffff00][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eokBIuCa-cQ][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ffff00][/td][/tr][/table] [columns] [img=https://i.imgur.com/U7bjp0u.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=transparent]^[/color][/b][/size][/center][nextcol width=10][nextcol][size=5][color=white][b]VS[/b][/color][/size][nextcol width=10][nextcol][img=https://i.imgur.com/drwKI9w.png height=75] [center][size=5][b][color=#00ff00]^[/color][/b][/size][/center] [nextcol width=20][nextcol width=600][center][size=5][b]🏁 Tiebreaker[/b][/size][/center] The final game of the Spring Split was a tiebreaker between MAD Lions and Team Heretics. Both teams had advanced beyond Regular Season in Winter, heck, MAD Lions were second place. However, one of these two teams was about to sit out until Summer. MAD was able to secure a great team fighting comp with Maokai, Azir, and Rakan, while Heretics drafted an unusual Taliyah mid lane and were perhaps angling for an aggressive diving comp with Renekton, Nautilus and Wukong as well. With stakes so high, the game started off quite slow, but First Blood was finally secured 10 minutes in by Jankos, as TH dove Carzzy and Hylissang bot lane. MAD responded, taking Ruby down first and Mersa after. 15 minutes in, in spite of how carefully the game had been played up until now, Carzzy had 3 kills and nearly a 2k gold advantage over Jack, though the Zeri gaming was only just starting. 20 minutes in, Carzzy was 6-0 and Nisqy was starting become troublesome as well. Having killed Jankos, MAD advanced upon Baron Nashor just as it spawned, and were able to expand their gold lead to 6k by the time the buff expired. As MAD was besieging the inner top lane turret, TH finally found a great fight. Mersa hooked Chasy under the turret and TH made quick work of him. They pressed on, taking three more and getting Jackspektra a Double Kill. In the wake of the fight, TH was able to deny MAD the Hextech Soul, but MAD got their second Baron in trade. This turned out to be a fruitful trade as 33 minutes in the two teams were suddenly equal in gold. It all came crashing on TH after MAD was able to secure that Soul. The team fight started off great, and TH was able to kill both Elyoya and Nisqy. Chasy was able to keep Evi distracted while Carzzy started going to town on the rest of Team Heretics, even in a 3v5. After Carzzy's Triple Kill and ace, the MAD Lions were able to just walk into the Heretics base and unceremoniously end the game, securing Group Stage for the Spring Split.[/columns] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ebbc4e][/td][/tr][/table] [spoiler=VOD][columns][nextcol width=150][nextcol][embed=https://youtu.be/R6eNeItE2Sw][/columns][/spoiler] [table][tr][td height=2 width=900 bgcolor=ebbc4e][/td][/tr][/table][/quote]

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‎‎ ‎ Group Stage Format Preview

Just like during the Winter split, the 8 teams qualified for the group stage have been drawn into 2 groups as seen below. The top 2 during the regular season, BDS and Astralis, have chosen their first opponents with SK and Fnatic respectively. Each team will have to win 2 series in order to advance to the playoff stage. There is the safety net of lower bracket, so losing your first match still gives you a chance at making it to playoffs. All matches are Bo3s, so drafting and quick adaptability become in order to advance. Every game counts, but only 2 teams will make it through from each group. Crazy to think one of G2, KOI and SK will not make it to playoffs while being 3 of our top 4 teams last split. And that's even without considering regular season kings BDS!

Match 1

Group A

↘

Match 3

Winner M1

→

Playoffs Qualification

Winner M2

↘

↗

Loser M3

Loser M1

→

Playoffs Qualification

Match 2

→

Winner M4

Loser M2

Match 5

Match 4

Match 1

Group B

↘

Match 3

Winner M1

→

Playoffs Qualification

Winner M2

↘

↗

Loser M3

Loser M1

→

Playoffs Qualification

Match 2

→

Winner M4

Loser M2

Match 5

Match 4

‎‎ ‎ Group Stage Week 1 Preview

Group A - Match 1

MAD Lions

Team Vitality

Our first Bo3 of spring is immediately an interesting one. MAD Lions take on Vitality. For MAD Lions it has been a rollercoaster of a year so far. Their second place finish during the Winter split surprised many, but the team had a hard time going back into the regular season. They eventually needed a tiebreaker to secure the top 8. But now going into Bo3s, they have a more or less clean slate to bounce back. Vitality is in a similar position as last split, having a strong roster on paper that has already shown great things. But the problem is consistency. With Photon and Bo there are still some language barriers to overcome, but the ceiling of this team is definitely high. Vitality are favourites coming into the series, but we've all seen in Winter what this MAD roster is capable off.

Players to Watch

BOTLANE

Carzzy

MAD Lions

$201

SUPPORT

Hylissang

MAD Lions

$180

TOPLANE

Photon

Team Vitality

$216

BOTLANE

Upset

Team Vitality

$195

MAD is one of the only teams in the league that has shown success playing around topside. Chasy had a very good debut split, supported by arguably the best jungler in the League with Elyoya and a midlaner on form Nisqy. However this split neither of them has really found the same form from before, but when things click again they are a force to be reckoned with. Down the botlane Carzzy and Hylissang often play weakside, but this split they have been the most consistent members of the squad. Hylissang is very happy with melee supports re-entering the meta and with them he's undoubltly still a top tier support. And Carzzy just carried MAD into the group stage, especially in the crucial tiebreaker vs Team Heretics.

Vitality is one of the teams that have adjusted their roster, adding Upset to the starting lineup over Neon. Now the team has more options to play through, with both Photon and Upset more than able to take over games when given leads. And mid-jungle Bo and Perkz are obviously no slouches either. Both have had some questionable moments throughout the regular season, but their high ceiling is known. Support Kaiser has been coming back into his own after a rough winter, next to his fellow countryman. The German will be very happy with the return of and as well, similar to Hyli.

The toplane matchup should be exciting, with arguably the best 2 performing toplaners of winter against each other. But also in the botlane Upset vs Hylissang, the duo that played together on Fnatic for 2 years. Who will secure the first group stage victory of spring, the Lions or the Hornets?

Group A - Match 2

Astralis

Fnatic

Astralis has taken the LEC by storm. Since the addition of LIDER in the midlane, they have defied all expectation by making second place during the regular season, taking down top teams as G2 and Vitality. But with newfound success comes now additional pressure... Fnatic is also on an upward trajectory. 2 roster moves after not making winter groups and a few shaky early games later, they're back and ready to rumble. Never tought I'd write this, but Astralis is the favourite in this matchup. However, Fnatic has really been picking up steam and with players such as Rekkles and Humanoid on the team, they clearly have the potential to take it as well.

Players to Watch

MIDLANE

LIDER

Astralis

$152

BOTLANE

Kobbe

Astralis

$166

TOPLANE

Oscarinin

Fnatic

$146

MIDLANE

Humanoid

Fnatic

$140

The man to look out for on the side of Astralis is obviously LIDER. No one really knew what to expect from his addition, since the Norwegian midlaner has always been something of a controversial figure. Notable for not playing (many) mages, there was doubt whether his champion pool would allow him to truly succeed at the top level. But here we are, and LIDER has pulled out both his interesting pocket picks such as and , while also picking conventional mages. And either way it has been working out great. Alongside him we gladly present Kobbe, veteran ADC and perhaps the most underrated player of 2023. Even when Astralis was struggling in Winter, this man kept trying his damn hardest. Though support JeongHoon also largely contributes to that success. Jungler 113 has also rapidly developed compared to just a year ago and works together well with LIDER. To top off the squad there is the ever reliable Finn who will always show up in clutch moments.

When looking at Fnatic it's obviously the new players that draw the most attention. Advienne has been more or less a stable, solid support. Definitely LEC calibre as we've seen him at XL before. Then regarding Oscarinin in the toplane, to say his first week was rough is an understatement. The rookie came into Fnatic at one of the hardest possible times, and opponents took full advantage of the stage nerves and growing pains. Though every week he has looked better than the last and now we've seen some of the raw potential that Oscar has. It will be very interesting to see how he fares in the Bo3s! Alongside the new players Fnatic has their experienced core of Humanoid, Rekkles and Razork. Humanoid has really found his footing again and shown why he was considered an elite midlaner before. Razork still has some inconsistencies, but also some insane pop-off performances like vs KOI. And Rekkles is the reliable lategame carry as always.

Group B - Match 1

Team BDS

SK Gaming

Who would've thought BDS vs SK would now be a clash between upper table teams? Just 2022 summer, both teams were at the bottom of the standings. Both came into the year with new rosters and surprised everyone by showing they could take on our traditional top teams. Now BDS improved even further upon last split, finishing 1st in regular season. This is the moment to prove themselves once and for all, after their disappointing loss to Astralis in the Bo3s. Sk on the other hand has already shown some of what they're capable off by making it to playoffs and finishing at 4th place. Spring hasn't been going as smoothly so far though, but Bo3 often proves to be a different beast. Which team will really cement themselves as a (sub)top team and potential dark horse for the title?

Players to Watch

JUNGLE

Sheo

Team BDS

$207

SUPPORT

Labrov

Team BDS

$179

MIDLANE

Sertuss

SK Gaming

$200

BOTLANE

Exakick

SK Gaming

$226

The great thing about BDS is that they're an actual team. Every member pulls their weight. All 5 have been performing well, but it's usually Adam in the toplane and Crownie in the botlane as the exponents of their success. The one with lane dominance and unconventional picks (, and even a ), the other with stability and consistency. All MVP awards in their wins this regular season have gone to these 2. Still I also want to highlight the others who are as much unchangeable parts in BDS' machine. Sheo is definitely an unsung hero of the squad, having by far the highest KDA of any jungler in the league alongside top 3 in kill participation. Wherever he comes, action will happen. Though none of this can happen without the contribution of nuc in the midlane. The French tandem often plays around the sidelanes together. Which translates into the highest kill participation and top 2 KDA for nuc as well. Last but not least, Labrov has found his form again alongside Crownie, his former lane partner on Vitality. 2022 was disappointing for the Greek support, but on BDS he has bloomed again. Just look at his performance vs Fnatic.

SK Gaming is similar in the way that nobody expected this roster to perform this well. But together they are more than the sum of their parts. Main star has definitely been Exakick though. The rookie botlaner went from LFL to 2nd all-pro team in a single split. It does help that he came to SK alongside Doss, who also was his support last year on LDLC. And Doss The Boss has been great so far as well. Though the past week was a bit rough, their matchup against Crownie and Labrov should be interesting. Markoon is still the main shotcaller, with a 3rd all-pro award to show for it. Last game vs Astralis he even had a monstrous carry game where he ended the game 13/04. Midlaner Sertuss has also had a pretty impressive season so far, with several pop-off performances. For example last time SK and BDS met, Sertuss carried his team, going 8/1/3 in the process on . While Sertuss is the explosive sort of player, their other solo laner Irrelevant is very stable. He's most known for his tank and weakside play such as on the or , but his has also been great and we can't wait to see him more often on carry toplaners

Group B - Match 2

G2 Esports

KOI

We've seen a lot of games between G2 and KOI/Rogue the last couple of years. And the take away is that either of them can win. Right now G2 is clearly the favourites and the more consistent team though. While KOI struggled once again during the Bo1s. Last time these 2 teams met, it was KOI taking the win, but when it mattered the most G2 took them down 3-1 in winter playoffs. Even the team that loses this first Bo3 shouldn't worry too much yet, they should still have a solid chance at making it out. However, it could prove important for their mental, especially for a team like KOI, now setting down a positive streak should be crucial to finding some consistency again.

Players to Watch

JUNGLE

Yike

G2 Esports

$228

BOTLANE

Hans Sama

G2 Esports

$215

TOPLANE

Szygenda

KOI

$186

BOTLANE

Comp

KOI

$199

We've already talked a lot about him, but Yike has just been playing so well. Last split we saw him on carry junglers like and , but in Spring he has been playing more facilitators like and . And the doubts are gone now - yes he can be a monster on those champions too. Even when G2 loses he looks decent. Curious to see how he'll fare at MSI. Who thinks of G2 obviously immediately thinks of Caps as well. He has been mostly great, but we do not want to see his talent wasted on mid anymore. The other solo laner of G2, BrokenBlade, has looked significantly better than in Winter though. While he might not be the best laner, his teamfighting is very clean. Take his vs Team Heretics for example. When the rest of your team is that flashy, it might be hard to stand out, but Hans Sama and Mikyx will carry regardless. Both have been very consistent for the side of G2, and the uncontested best botlane in EU right now. Do not ask why is permabanned against G2...

Weird to say KOI's most consistent member right now happens to be Szygenda when you got so much talent and experience all across the board. Though no disrespect meant towards the Danish toplaner. He has carried his team across the finish line at several instances already. Most notably vs Heretics and... G2. If there's a clear opporunity for KOI to attack G2, it's probably through the toplane. In that case they'd need Malrang to find his best form again soon though. But last groupstage he stepped up massively, so no doubt he'll perform when it matters most. Larssen is still good, but still more or less just what you'd expect from him. He can definitely match Caps in lane, but might be less proactive. Then by the time his control mages come online, other lanes might be falling apart already. There is no doubt he will carry if he can scale though. KOI's botlane was previously their main strength, but apart from some moments in groups and playoffs during Winter, they looked kinda off. But mainly seems to be Trymbi having a rough 2023. Comp can still carry games when given leads. Look at his recent games for example or his pentakill vs G2 in Winter playoffs.

‎‎ ‎ Conclusion

Thanks for making it this far! This wraps up our regular season recap and group stage preview. A lot to digest, but remember that there is a one-week break before the group stage starts. Still some time to plan strategies and select your fantasy team!

Remember that there's still a few more days to reassemble your Fantasy Team for the group stage! When in doubt, consider using one of the highlighted players here, especially when you're picking your captain. And if things don't go according to plan, don't hesitate to use a Sell-token! Extra reminder that you can always change your captain in between game days, so you can maximize your points gain.

Credits go to LoL.fandom Wiki for their collection of player portraits, up-to-date statistics, overviews and all-around fantastic work documenting LoL esports.

[quote=Silverman43][table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Group Stage Format Preview[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] Just like during the Winter split, the 8 teams qualified for the group stage have been drawn into 2 groups as seen below. The top 2 during the regular season, BDS and Astralis, have chosen their first opponents with SK and Fnatic respectively. Each team will have to win 2 series in order to advance to the playoff stage. There is the safety net of lower bracket, so losing your first match still gives you a chance at making it to playoffs. All matches are Bo3s, so drafting and quick adaptability become in order to advance. Every game counts, but only 2 teams will make it through from each group. Crazy to think one of G2, KOI and SK will not make it to playoffs while being 3 of our top 4 teams last split. And that's even without considering regular season kings BDS! [center] [table] [tr height=30][td colspan=14][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 1[/size][/b][/center][/td][td colspan=3][/td][td width=150 colspan=4 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=6][b]Group A[/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/wSk4dEF.png height=40][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td colspan=12][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]↘[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 3[/size][/b][/center][/td][td colspan=9][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/8/86/Team_Vitalitylogo_square.png height=35][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Winner M1[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td colspan=3][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 colspan=2 width=100][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]→[/size][/center][/td][td width=150 colspan=3 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=3]Playoffs Qualification[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/8dGCLTD.png height=40][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Winner M2[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]↘[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]↗[/size][/center][/td][td colspan=4][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Loser M3[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/ONwzvtU.png height=27][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Loser M1[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 colspan=2 width=100][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]→[/size][/center][/td][td width=150 colspan=3 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=3]Playoffs Qualification[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 2[/size][/b][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 colspan=2 width=100][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]→[/size][/center][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Winner M4[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td colspan=3][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Loser M2[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 5[/size][/b][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td colspan=3][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 4[/size][/b][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td colspan=5][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 1[/size][/b][/center][/td][td colspan=3][/td][td width=150 colspan=4 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=6][b]Group B[/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/ncIuiAG.png height=40][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td colspan=12][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]↘[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 3[/size][/b][/center][/td][td colspan=9][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=35][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Winner M1[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td colspan=3][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 colspan=2 width=100][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]→[/size][/center][/td][td width=150 colspan=3 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=3]Playoffs Qualification[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/7/77/G2_Esportslogo_square.png height=40][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Winner M2[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]↘[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]↗[/size][/center][/td][td colspan=4][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Loser M3[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td width=50 bgcolor=#162645][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/bzFmPRP.png height=40][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Loser M1[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 colspan=2 width=100][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]→[/size][/center][/td][td width=150 colspan=3 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=3]Playoffs Qualification[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 2[/size][/b][/center][/td][td width=50][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 colspan=2 width=100][center][size=5]VS[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]-[/size][/center][/td][td width=50][center][size=6]→[/size][/center][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Winner M4[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td colspan=3][/td][td colspan=2 bgcolor=#162645][center][size=4]Loser M2[/size][/center][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=50][center][size=5]0[/size][/center][/td][td][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 5[/size][/b][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=50][td colspan=3][/td][td bgcolor=#152034 width=100 colspan=2][center][b][size=4]Match 4[/size][/b][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=30][td colspan=5][/td][/tr] [/table] [/center] [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Group Stage Week 1 Preview[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=5]Group A - Match 1[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [right] [td width=300 vertical-align=center][right] [size=7][b]MAD Lions[/b][/size][right][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/wSk4dEF.png height=75][/center][/td] [td width=70 vertical-align=center][center][size=6][b]VS[/b][/size][/center][/td] [td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/8/86/Team_Vitalitylogo_square.png height=75][/center][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=300 vertical-align=center][left] [size=7][b]Team Vitality[/b][/size][/left][/td] [/tr] [/table] Our first Bo3 of spring is immediately an interesting one. MAD Lions take on Vitality. For MAD Lions it has been a rollercoaster of a year so far. Their second place finish during the Winter split surprised many, but the team had a hard time going back into the regular season. They eventually needed a tiebreaker to secure the top 8. But now going into Bo3s, they have a more or less clean slate to bounce back. Vitality is in a similar position as last split, having a strong roster on paper that has already shown great things. But the problem is consistency. With Photon and Bo there are still some language barriers to overcome, but the ceiling of this team is definitely high. Vitality are favourites coming into the series, but we've all seen in Winter what this MAD roster is capable off. [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=4]Players to Watch[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [responsive][row justify-content=center align-items=center] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #e0c061" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]BOTLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/b/b1/MAD_Carzzy_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#e0c061][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Carzzy[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/wSk4dEF.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]MAD Lions[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$201[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #e0c061" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/XsdpYZL.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]SUPPORT[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/1/12/MAD_Hylissang_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#e0c061][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Hylissang[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/wSk4dEF.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]MAD Lions[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$180[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col width=10][/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #fae200" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/w9EsS8G.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]TOPLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/8/8e/VIT_Photon_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#fae200][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Photon[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/8/86/Team_Vitalitylogo_square.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Team Vitality[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$216[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #fae200" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]BOTLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/f/fa/VIT_Upset_2023_Split_1.png width=162][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#fae200][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Upset[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/8/86/Team_Vitalitylogo_square.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Team Vitality[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$195[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [/row] [/responsive] MAD is one of the only teams in the league that has shown success playing around topside. Chasy had a very good debut split, supported by arguably the best jungler in the League with Elyoya and a midlaner on form Nisqy. However this split neither of them has really found the same form from before, but when things click again they are a force to be reckoned with. Down the botlane Carzzy and Hylissang often play weakside, but this split they have been the most consistent members of the squad. Hylissang is very happy with melee supports re-entering the meta and with them he's undoubltly still a top tier support. And Carzzy just carried MAD into the group stage, especially in the crucial tiebreaker vs Team Heretics. Vitality is one of the teams that have adjusted their roster, adding Upset to the starting lineup over Neon. Now the team has more options to play through, with both Photon and Upset more than able to take over games when given leads. And mid-jungle Bo and Perkz are obviously no slouches either. Both have had some questionable moments throughout the regular season, but their high ceiling is known. Support Kaiser has been coming back into his own after a rough winter, next to his fellow countryman. The German will be very happy with the return of [[leona]] and [[nautilus]] as well, similar to Hyli. The toplane matchup should be exciting, with arguably the best 2 performing toplaners of winter against each other. But also in the botlane Upset vs Hylissang, the duo that played together on Fnatic for 2 years. Who will secure the first group stage victory of spring, the Lions or the Hornets? [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=5]Group A - Match 2[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [right] [td width=300 vertical-align=center][right] [size=7][b]Astralis[/b][/size][right][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/8dGCLTD.png height=75][/center][/td] [td width=70 vertical-align=center][center][size=6][b]VS[/b][/size][/center][/td] [td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/ONwzvtU.png height=55][/center][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=300 vertical-align=center][left] [size=7][b]Fnatic[/b][/size][/left][/td] [/tr] [/table] Astralis has taken the LEC by storm. Since the addition of LIDER in the midlane, they have defied all expectation by making second place during the regular season, taking down top teams as G2 and Vitality. But with newfound success comes now additional pressure... Fnatic is also on an upward trajectory. 2 roster moves after not making winter groups and a few shaky early games later, they're back and ready to rumble. Never tought I'd write this, but Astralis is the favourite in this matchup. However, Fnatic has really been picking up steam and with players such as Rekkles and Humanoid on the team, they clearly have the potential to take it as well. [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=4]Players to Watch[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [responsive][row justify-content=center align-items=center] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #e60000" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/aQyqQwd.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]MIDLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/3/35/VIT_LIDER_2023_Split_1.png width=162][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#e60000][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]LIDER[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/8dGCLTD.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Astralis[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$152[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #e60000" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]BOTLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/b/b5/AST_Kobbe_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#e60000][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Kobbe[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/8dGCLTD.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Astralis[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$166[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col width=10][/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #fe5900" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/w9EsS8G.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]TOPLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/0/05/FNC_Oscarinin_2023_Split_1.png width=162][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#fe5900][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Oscarinin[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/ONwzvtU.png height=17][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Fnatic[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$146[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #fe5900" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/aQyqQwd.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]MIDLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/8/87/FNC_Humanoid_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#fe5900][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Humanoid[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/ONwzvtU.png height=17][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Fnatic[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$140[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [/row] [/responsive] The man to look out for on the side of Astralis is obviously LIDER. No one really knew what to expect from his addition, since the Norwegian midlaner has always been something of a controversial figure. Notable for not playing (many) mages, there was doubt whether his champion pool would allow him to truly succeed at the top level. But here we are, and LIDER has pulled out both his interesting pocket picks such as [[irelia]] and [[zed]], while also picking conventional mages. And either way it has been working out great. Alongside him we gladly present Kobbe, veteran ADC and perhaps the most underrated player of 2023. Even when Astralis was struggling in Winter, this man kept trying his damn hardest. Though support JeongHoon also largely contributes to that success. Jungler 113 has also rapidly developed compared to just a year ago and works together well with LIDER. To top off the squad there is the ever reliable Finn who will always show up in clutch moments. When looking at Fnatic it's obviously the new players that draw the most attention. Advienne has been more or less a stable, solid support. Definitely LEC calibre as we've seen him at XL before. Then regarding Oscarinin in the toplane, to say his first week was rough is an understatement. The rookie came into Fnatic at one of the hardest possible times, and opponents took full advantage of the stage nerves and growing pains. Though every week he has looked better than the last and now we've seen some of the raw potential that Oscar has. It will be very interesting to see how he fares in the Bo3s! Alongside the new players Fnatic has their experienced core of Humanoid, Rekkles and Razork. Humanoid has really found his footing again and shown why he was considered an elite midlaner before. Razork still has some inconsistencies, but also some insane pop-off performances like vs KOI. And Rekkles is the reliable lategame carry as always. [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=5]Group B - Match 1[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [right] [td width=300 vertical-align=center][right] [size=7][b]Team BDS[/b][/size][right][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/ncIuiAG.png height=75][/center][/td] [td width=70 vertical-align=center][center][size=6][b]VS[/b][/size][/center][/td] [td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=75][/center][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=300 vertical-align=center][left] [size=7][b]SK Gaming[/b][/size][/left][/td] [/tr] [/table] Who would've thought BDS vs SK would now be a clash between upper table teams? Just 2022 summer, both teams were at the bottom of the standings. Both came into the year with new rosters and surprised everyone by showing they could take on our traditional top teams. Now BDS improved even further upon last split, finishing 1st in regular season. This is the moment to prove themselves once and for all, after their disappointing loss to Astralis in the Bo3s. Sk on the other hand has already shown some of what they're capable off by making it to playoffs and finishing at 4th place. Spring hasn't been going as smoothly so far though, but Bo3 often proves to be a different beast. Which team will really cement themselves as a (sub)top team and potential dark horse for the title? [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=4]Players to Watch[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [responsive][row justify-content=center align-items=center] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0076" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/tSXz5QB.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]JUNGLE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/d/d7/BDS_Sheo_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0076][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Sheo[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/ncIuiAG.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$207[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ff0076" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/XsdpYZL.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]SUPPORT[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/5/53/BDS_Labrov_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ff0076][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Labrov[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/ncIuiAG.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]Team BDS[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$179[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col width=10][/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ffffff" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/aQyqQwd.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]MIDLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/8/8d/SK_Sertuss_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ffffff][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Sertuss[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]SK Gaming[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$200[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #ffffff" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]BOTLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/1/14/SK_Exakick_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#ffffff][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Exakick[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://i.imgur.com/1whtSNS.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]SK Gaming[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$226[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [/row] [/responsive] The great thing about BDS is that they're an actual team. Every member pulls their weight. All 5 have been performing well, but it's usually Adam in the toplane and Crownie in the botlane as the exponents of their success. The one with lane dominance and unconventional picks ([[darius]], [[sett]] and even a [[yasuo]]), the other with stability and consistency. All MVP awards in their wins this regular season have gone to these 2. Still I also want to highlight the others who are as much unchangeable parts in BDS' machine. Sheo is definitely an unsung hero of the squad, having by far the highest KDA of any jungler in the league alongside top 3 in kill participation. Wherever he comes, action will happen. Though none of this can happen without the contribution of nuc in the midlane. The French tandem often plays around the sidelanes together. Which translates into the highest kill participation and top 2 KDA for nuc as well. Last but not least, Labrov has found his form again alongside Crownie, his former lane partner on Vitality. 2022 was disappointing for the Greek support, but on BDS he has bloomed again. Just look at his [[blitzcrank]] performance vs Fnatic. SK Gaming is similar in the way that nobody expected this roster to perform this well. But together they are more than the sum of their parts. Main star has definitely been Exakick though. The rookie botlaner went from LFL to 2nd all-pro team in a single split. It does help that he came to SK alongside Doss, who also was his support last year on LDLC. And Doss The Boss has been great so far as well. Though the past week was a bit rough, their matchup against Crownie and Labrov should be interesting. Markoon is still the main shotcaller, with a 3rd all-pro award to show for it. Last game vs Astralis he even had a monstrous [[lee sin]] carry game where he ended the game 13/04. Midlaner Sertuss has also had a pretty impressive season so far, with several pop-off performances. For example last time SK and BDS met, Sertuss carried his team, going 8/1/3 in the process on [[akali]]. While Sertuss is the explosive sort of player, their other solo laner Irrelevant is very stable. He's most known for his tank and weakside play such as on the [[sion]] or [[gnar]], but his [[jax]] has also been great and we can't wait to see him more often on carry toplaners [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=5]Group B - Match 2[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [right] [td width=300 vertical-align=center][right] [size=7][b]G2 Esports[/b][/size][right][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/7/77/G2_Esportslogo_square.png height=75][/center][/td] [td width=70 vertical-align=center][center][size=6][b]VS[/b][/size][/center][/td] [td width=100 vertical-align=center][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/bzFmPRP.png height=75][/center][/td][td width=15][/td][td width=300 vertical-align=center][left] [size=7][b]KOI[/b][/size][/left][/td] [/tr] [/table] We've seen a lot of games between G2 and KOI/Rogue the last couple of years. And the take away is that either of them can win. Right now G2 is clearly the favourites and the more consistent team though. While KOI struggled once again during the Bo1s. Last time these 2 teams met, it was KOI taking the win, but when it mattered the most G2 took them down 3-1 in winter playoffs. Even the team that loses this first Bo3 shouldn't worry too much yet, they should still have a solid chance at making it out. However, it could prove important for their mental, especially for a team like KOI, now setting down a positive streak should be crucial to finding some consistency again. [table][tr][td padding=10px width=900 bgcolor=#152034][b][size=4]Players to Watch[/size][/b][/td][/tr][/table] [responsive][row justify-content=center align-items=center] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #e81f24" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/tSXz5QB.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]JUNGLE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/4/46/G2_Yike_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#e81f24][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Yike[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/7/77/G2_Esportslogo_square.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]G2 Esports[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$228[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #e81f24" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]BOTLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/f/ff/G2_Hans_Sama_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#e81f24][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Hans Sama[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/7/77/G2_Esportslogo_square.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]G2 Esports[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$215[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col width=10][/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #581ab8" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/w9EsS8G.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]TOPLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/c/c3/KOI_Szygenda_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#581ab8][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Szygenda[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/a/a5/KOI_%28Spanish_Team%29logo_square.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]KOI[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$186[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [col margin=5px] [table width=210 bgcolor=#091120 border="2px solid #581ab8" border-radius=15px padding=5][tr] [td][center][img=https://i.imgur.com/P5LdG0V.png width=30][/center][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][size=5][b][color=#ffffff]BOTLANE[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=10][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td][center][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/f/f2/KOI_Comp_2023_Split_1.png width=180][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=2][td bgcolor=#581ab8][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]Comp[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][table][tr][td][img=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lolesports_gamepedia_en/images/a/a5/KOI_%28Spanish_Team%29logo_square.png height=20][/td][td width=5][/td][td][size=4][b][color=#00000]KOI[/color][/b][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/td][/tr] [tr height=35][td padding=5 bgcolor=#152034][center][size=5][b][color=#00000]$199[/color][/b][/size][/center][/td][/tr] [/table] [/col] [/row] [/responsive] We've already talked a lot about him, but Yike has just been playing so well. Last split we saw him on carry junglers like [[lillia]] and [[bel'veth]], but in Spring he has been playing more facilitators like [[vi]] and [[jarvan IV]]. And the doubts are gone now - yes he can be a monster on those champions too. Even when G2 loses he looks decent. Curious to see how he'll fare at MSI. Who thinks of G2 obviously immediately thinks of Caps as well. He has been mostly great, but we do not want to see his talent wasted on [[malphite]] mid anymore. The other solo laner of G2, BrokenBlade, has looked significantly better than in Winter though. While he might not be the best laner, his teamfighting is very clean. Take his [[olaf]] vs Team Heretics for example. When the rest of your team is that flashy, it might be hard to stand out, but Hans Sama and Mikyx will carry regardless. Both have been very consistent for the side of G2, and the uncontested best botlane in EU right now. Do not ask why [[draven]] is permabanned against G2... Weird to say KOI's most consistent member right now happens to be Szygenda when you got so much talent and experience all across the board. Though no disrespect meant towards the Danish toplaner. He has carried his team across the finish line at several instances already. Most notably vs Heretics and... G2. If there's a clear opporunity for KOI to attack G2, it's probably through the toplane. In that case they'd need Malrang to find his best form again soon though. But last groupstage he stepped up massively, so no doubt he'll perform when it matters most. Larssen is still good, but still more or less just what you'd expect from him. He can definitely match Caps in lane, but might be less proactive. Then by the time his control mages come online, other lanes might be falling apart already. There is no doubt he will carry if he can scale though. KOI's botlane was previously their main strength, but apart from some moments in groups and playoffs during Winter, they looked kinda off. But mainly seems to be Trymbi having a rough 2023. Comp can still carry games when given leads. Look at his recent [[kai'sa]] games for example or his pentakill vs G2 in Winter playoffs. [table] [tr] [td width=900 bgcolor=162645] [size=6][b]‎‎ ‎ Conclusion[/b][/size] [/td] [/tr] [/table] Thanks for making it this far! This wraps up our regular season recap and group stage preview. A lot to digest, but remember that there is a one-week break before the group stage starts. Still some time to plan strategies and select your fantasy team! Remember that there's still a few more days to reassemble your Fantasy Team for the group stage! When in doubt, consider using one of the highlighted players here, especially when you're picking your captain. And if things don't go according to plan, don't hesitate to use a Sell-token! Extra reminder that you can always change your captain in between game days, so you can maximize your points gain. Credits go to [color=#61acf2][url=https://lol.fandom.com/wiki/League_of_Legends_Esports_Wiki]LoL.fandom Wiki[/url][/color] for their collection of player portraits, up-to-date statistics, overviews and all-around fantastic work documenting LoL esports.[/quote]

Thanks to @ Jovy for the signature!

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MOBAFire EMEA Fantasy Tournament Spring 2023 -...

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