The Saturday games at the League of Legends European Championship, or LEC for short, offered plenty of fighting and several twists. The 2019 champions G2 Esports stand at the top after an impressive victory against Origen.
Misfits go two for two in the week
The opening LEC game for the day showed us two teams that were fighting for a chance to get at the upper half of the table. Excel Esports took the first blood and built early advantages around the map.
For Misfits, the only player who had a good start was mid laner Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten. However, a slow and bloodless mid game allowed Misfits to slowly equalize the game. Then, 23 minutes in, Danny “Dan Dan” Le Comte’s Gangplank came online with a triple kill in a chaotic brawl near the dragon pit.
The game heated up with the teams trading blows in the mid-game. Excel Esports gained the initiative with a surprise baron, but Misfits defended well against the push. They won a scrappy fight near their bot-lane inhibitor and used Febiven on split-pushing duty to relieve pressure.
Several minutes later, it was their turn to take the baron after killing the enemy jungler, but Excel Esports took an inhibitor in return. The back-and-forth ended nearly 40 minutes in, when Misfitstook four unanswered kills to secure the victory and end the week with two wins.
FC Schalke 04’s woes continue against MAD Lions
After three consecutive losses, FC Schalke 04 fans and players were doubtlessly eager for a win. Good early ganks by Erberk “Gilius” Demir made them hope that this time they would finally have an easy LEC game. However, it was not to last.
Despite being killed several times in the early game, Marek “Humanoid” Brázda quickly bounced back and racked up three kills by the 20-minute mark. As the mid game began, the LEC newcomers were the more active team on the map and led in both dragons and towers. Then, they fell prey to the mid-game malaise that affects many LEC teams. It was FC Schalke 04’s time for a comeback and in several fights, they were able to exploit MAD’s aggression and punish them for overcommitting.
Things looked dire for the Spanish side 35 minutes in when they had to stop a baron without a jungler. But in the ensuing fight, Humanoid was on point, his Qiyana slashing through the enemy backline to win the skirmish. With a Baron buff and a dragon soul soon after, MAD put FC Schalke 04 on the ropes. The German team defended their base for several minutes, but another great Qiyana flank saw the Lions take a clean ace and push for the win.
This leaves the Spanish team at a respectable 2-2 score. Meanwhile, FC Schalke 04 remain winless. The “Schalke 0-4” memes may be amusing, but chances are, no one on the team is laughing.
Rogue are back to winning against Vitality
After suffering their first loss for the season, Rogue drafted a scaling composition against the struggling Team Vitality, as if daring their opponents to play aggressively. Better map awareness allowed Rogue to capitalize on their enemies’ recklessness, getting three kills and a gold lead in the early game.
Rogue used that advantage to stamp their control over the first 20 minutes, taking multiple dragons and towers. To their credit, Vitality hit back with some good split-pushing and evasive play that allowed them to stay in the game. However, their composition did not have enough firepower for a direct fight, and they had no answers when Rogue started the Baron 26 minutes in. With a baron buff and a big gold lead, Rogue went for the enemy base and took two inhibitors before routing their opponents to take the win.
After two weeks, Vitality are yet to get on the board, and unfortunately, they have not looked good so far. For Rogue, this has been a welcome win after Origen broke their streak, but they also have to look forward to a game with G2 next week. There, they can expect to be pressed harder.
Fnatic’s resurgence continues against SK
The action started fast in the fourth game of the day, with both junglers finding successful early ganks.
SK Gaming seemed to have the initial advantage, but an attempt to siege the outer mid tower 13 minutes in left them exposed to a Fnatic flank. This saw Europe’s most decorated team get three kills and use them to wrest control of the game. Though their composition seemed to be lacking mid-game damage, they had the better read on the game and quickly grew their lead.
By the time we were 24 minutes into the game, SK seemed to have found their way back in as Fnatic had an oddly disjointed attack and lost three people. Yet, when the German team went for the Baron, Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek’s Ornn would have his vengeance for his earlier death. The Fnatic mid laner put on a clinic in the pit in a fight where his team was fighting three versus five. He kept everyone in the baron pit, setting them up so his teammate Martin “Rekkles” Larsson could knock them down.
With a baron and four kills, Fnatic turned on the tempo and quickly ended the game. Despite their Day 1 loss at the LEC, they are looking like an easy Top 3 team in Europe before their showdown with rivals G2 Esports next Sunday.
G2 battle for the top
The LEC match of the week saw the last two undefeated teams in Europe, Origenand G2 Esports, face off. Once again, Martin “Wunder” Hansen pulled the top-lane Soraka, showing that his team sees her as their ace in the hole.
The teams were dead even in the first 10 minutes, but when Origen tried to take the Rift Herald, G2 Esports were in a better position, taking two kills with good map awareness and layering of crowd control. The 2019 LEC champions continued being the stronger team and did not concede any kills until a large fight 19 minutes in. There, they took the extended ace, and it was thanks to a great play by Origen’s Elias “Upset” Lipp that resulted in three kills for his team.
Things looked dire for Origen, but an uncharacteristic overextension for G2 Esports near the baron pit allowed their rivals to take four kills and the big buff to equalize the game.
However, just a few minutes later a great crowd control chain saw G2 Esports pick off Barney “Alphari” Morris and drive Origen away to secure an uncontested dragon soul. The damage of the G2 Esports carries, combined with the sustain from Soraka, were too much for Origen to handle, and their desperate defense quickly floundered.
The play was a master class in aggression for G2 Esports. They executed a difficult composition nearly perfectly, and seemed to get in Origen’s heads for a big portion of the game.
The LEC continues on Friday, February 7, with Team Vitality hoping to find their first victory of the split. They face off against an Origen lineup that is looking to prove that they do belong among the LEC greats. Don’t miss it! And if you want to see some great plays of the week, check out below:
