G2 Esports and MAD Lions were the big winners of Week 7 of the LEC, ensuring playoff spots for themselves with two wins each. Behind them, four teams will fight tooth and nail for the last spot. Fnatic, meanwhile, looked quite shaky, losing both games and worrying its fans.The end of the LEC season is fast approaching and every team is eager to add a few wins - either to make playoffs or to guarantee a good spot for them. With a showdown between Fnatic and Rogue and between G2 and Misfits, week 7 promised to be quite explosive!
Rogue Win Friday Showdown
The week started with a bout between Schalke 04 and Excel Esports. Despite a good start for the Royal Blues, a great early game by Nukeduck kept the game close. The two teams were neck and neck until 24 minutes, when Excel pushed 5v4 mid, got two kills and an inhibitor - and kept pushing until the Nexus.
Team Vitality had to start on the back foot against Misfits, as overaggression in the mid lane ended in a death for Lider’s Lucian. However, the French squad fought back and Selfmade’s Evelynn racked several early kills as the jungler roamed. However, Misfits stabilized their game and shut Vitality down.
In game 3, Astralis presented a good challenge to MAD Lions, falling behind early but showing masterful mid-game teamfights. The Lions countered this with good map play and despite losing the first baron to a great steal eventually secured the key buff. Even a mountain soul was not enough for Astralis, who had to start the week with a loss.
SK Gaming and G2 Esports brawled throughout the early game, keeping the gold and objectives nearly even. However, as the game went on G2’s superior execution saw them come into the lead - first by a little, but eventually by over 10K gold. In the face of such a deficit and a G2 playing well, SK could only hold on for so long.
The match of the week saw the two teams on top of the table - Rogue and Fnatic - face off. The spring finalists started with an early lead, as Inspired’s Xin Zhao was on fire. The Rogue jungler made his counterpart look nearly invisible, amassing seven kills at the 12-minute mark and setting his team nearly 5K gold ahead. Fnatic tried to fight back, but even killing Inspired 22 minutes in turned against them. Rogue got four kills and the Baron and ended the game a few minutes later.
— LEC (@LEC) July 23, 2021
MAD Lions Win Finals Rematch
Astralis opened up the Saturday games with a much-needed win against FC Schalke 04, eliminating the German team from the playoff contention. The former Origen got two early kills top and dominated the sidelanes, using them to maintain a firm hold on the objectives. An early Baron gave let them push Schalke in their base.The Royal Blues mounted a good defense and chased for some kills, but Astralis closed the game with a teleport backdoor.
Excel Esports took on Team Vitality in a game with big implications for both teams’ playoff chances. Despite another good game by Selfmade, Excel eventually opened up a lead. A series of well-played teamfights saw them secure an early Baron and use it to take over the map for a key win.
The third game pitted Rogue against MAD Lions in a repeat of the spring final. Rogue started well with an early gank bot and a amassed a significant gold lead, but they couldn’t stop MAD from controlling the early drakes. 26 minutes in, Rogue were forced to fight MAD to prevent an infernal soul. Yet the Lions secured the dragon and an ace and used them to take over the game.
— LEC (@LEC) July 24, 2021
Fnatic amassed an early lead against SK Gaming. However, their early aggression sometimes backfired, letting the beleaguered German team catch its breath. As the game went on, SK’s composition proved stronger in front to back fight. Fnatic looked for picks, but to no avail. 35 minutes in they were routed and SK completed the upset of the week.
Unlike the previous game, the bout between Misfits Gaming and G2 Esports was calm, controlled and mostly bloodless. Misfits had a small lead but were unable to press the 2020 champions. Eventually, G2 outscaled them and, after a single decisive fight 31 minutes in, won the game that guaranteed their playoff spot.
Read More:
- 100 Thieves Top The LCS
- Febiven Announces Retirement from Pro League of Legends
- Fnatic Defeat G2 Esports
Next weekend, the summer split ends with three-day weekends for both the LEC and the LCS. In the meantime, make sure to follow our coverage for more LoL news and analysis!