Week 1 of the LEC Spring Split saw several surprises, but some of the major favorites started strong regardless. Here’s what happened.
MAD Lions overcome Vitality to kick off the day
With both teams fumbling on Day 1, they were eager to prove their worth. Vitalitylooked slightly better in the opening minutes. They put some early efforts to help Lucas “Cabochard” Simon-Meslet on Rumble, but MAD Lions quickly equalized. The teams remained close throughout the early game and even a chaotic extended fight 16 minutes in left them within touching distance of one another.
It took 26 minutes for the game to turn towards one team as MAD Lions won a crucial teamfight in the river and followed it up with the Baron. Vitality let the mid inhibitor fall before contesting the second one and managed to kill enemy mid laner Marek “Humanoid” Brázda. In the fight, though, they lost four in return and it almost cost them the game.
MAD Lions’ pressure was unrelenting and they eventually took the third inhibitor down and a second Baron before pushing to end the game. Vitality took the first blood in the final fight, but it was all they could manage. The MAD Lions pushed them back, took two kills in return and ended the game.
Rogue strike back to remain undefeated
Rogue and Excel Esports started by trading blows in the early game. The Brits initially got the upper hand with more kills in the first 10 minutes but both sides were virtually equal in gold.
As the mid game started, however, Excel began to beat Rogue to the punch. Using the crowd control and long-range abilities in their composition they limited the ways their opponents could approach them for a fight. Around the 19-minute mark, their map control paid off big as they grouped in the top lane with the Rift Herald. This caught Rogue off-guard and cost them a very early inhibitor which crippled their map control. Maybe this was the end?
Rogue were not out of the game, though. A risky teleport flank paid off as they got 2 kills in an extended teamfight, then managed to secure the Baron and equalize the gold. Several minutes later, what looked like a catch on Oscar “Vander” Bogdan ended up in an ace and an inhibitor for Rogue.
The game that had appeared like a sure win for Excel was now balanced on a knife’s edge. In the end, Rogue’s comeback would not be denied – another teleport flank saw them delete Elias “Upset” Lipp’s fed Aphelios. Without him, Misfitsdid not have enough to hold their opponents off. Rogue got two kills, ran down the exposed middle lane and ended the game to be the first team to end the week with a 2-0 score.
Origen stand strong against FC Schalke 04
After an impressive victory against Fnatic on Friday, Origen allowed no surprises in their game against Schalke. Despite having a better scaling composition, they actually opted to strike first – a very early gank by Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir in the top lane resulted in first blood for his team.
This set off a series of skirmishes for both teams, and while Schalke found some good roams from their bottom lane, the coordination between Xerxe and mid laner Erlend “Nukeduck” Våtevik Holm let Origen stay a step ahead. Even worse for Schalke, Nukeduck was on fire himself. He already had three kills and two assists on his Leblanc 16 minutes in, as well as a big part of Origen’s 1.5K gold lead in his pockets. Together with his team, they would play it safe, however, slowing down the pace in the mid game to do some proper scaling.
The lull lasted over fifteen minutes. Then, what looked like a catch on Nukeducksaw Schalke slowly grind down the enemy support only to lose their jungler in return. The German side re-engaged to try to find a way back into the game, but this left them overexposed. Naturally, Origen took three more kills. Now with a solid lead, they turned the pressure up and broke Schalke’s resistance, winning the game within five minutes.
Fnatic are back with a vengeance against Misfits
The Fnatic squad left some questions on Friday, but on Saturday, they came out swinging. What looked to be a good situation for Misfits early on turned into two kills for Martin “Rekkles” Larsson’s Aphelios not even five minutes in. Two more kills followed by the 10-minute mark as his team was 3K gold up.
While Misfits were able to get some hits in, Fnatic kept upping the tempo and punishing their opponents throughout the early game. The Swedish AD Carry continued stomping a hole through Misfits, and before the Baron had come on the Rift, Fnatic were already in the enemy base. Their opponents tried one last desperate stand, but it flopped and Fnatic were left to take a nearly unopposed victory in just over 20 minutes.
G2 stay strong
In the final game of the day, Worlds finalists G2 Esports faced off against SK Gaming. Despite being heavy underdogs, SK were not going to make it easy for their opponents. A gank by Kim “Trick” Gang-yun saw them pick two kills just four minutes in. G2 recovered quickly, however, and played the map better.
The pressure finally bore fruit 17 minutes in as G2 got five kills in two consecutive skirmishes and secured a 3K gold lead. SK were not out of it yet, though, and 23 minutes in, they got a 3-2 in an extended fight.
Still, G2 were well ahead in this game, and 27 minutes in, they got a clean ace. Michael “Mikyx” on Rakan basically shut down the enemy backline with a great ultimate. They took the Baron before turning to the enemy Nexus. This time, SK had nothing to offer as their opponents crashed into their base, and in just over 30 minutes, G2 ended it all.
Overall, it was a good day for the favorites. While Rogue were seen as somewhat of a dark horse, their win showed that they could clinch important games. Meanwhile, Origen and G2 look like the teams to beat – and considering their rosters are still not working at 100% due to the changes they made in the pre-season, we can expect even more.
The LEC continues on Friday, January 31, when Origen will face off against Rogue with their undefeated streaks on the line. Maybe the vagrants will be kings in the end?
