The first superweek of the LEC Winter Season is done and oh boy, was it an eventful one. After three days, only G2 Esports and Team Vitality remain undefeated.
The LEC kicked off on Saturday evening with the first superweek of the 2023 Winter Season. With the new schedule, the opening part of the new season would be important for every team involved. After a single round robin schedule spread over three weeks, the bottom 2 teams will be eliminated from contention. With the rest of their season on the line, all teams wanted to hit the round running - but who would be able to get the early lead?
Fnatic vs Team Vitality Slugfest Crowns Day 1
The first day started with the Summer runners-up G2 Esports getting their first win of the day against an Excel Esports. While Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu tried to hold the line for his team, G2’s early bot and jungle lead was too much to overcome. KOI, meanwhile, had an expected win against Team BDS and while the underdogs made it closer than we expected, a clutch Baron steal and a teamfight win 31 minutes in sealed the deal.
Astralis and Team Heretics had another close game and while Astralis had the early lead, TH were able to stay in the game with great play and Lee "Ruby" Sol-min’s Cassiopeia was eventually able to carry the day. MAD Lions, meanwhile, had little trouble with SK Gaming, forging an early lead and taking over after a quick Baron. The final game of the day featured Fnatic and Team Vitality. While Luka "Perkz" Perković and co had the early lead, Fnatic fought to get back into the game and eventually took the lead, even getting a mountain soul. Vitality looked set to lose when they turned around a Baron fight, however, and a 4-1 near the elder dragon soon afterwards let them take the win.
G2 Win Day 2 Derby
SK Gaming’s woes continued in their game against BDS, a direct rival for making it to the top 8. BDS had the early lead but the game was close until they were able to first steal what should have been a SK Baron and then take the mountain soul to take the game. MAD Lions, in the next game, scored another victory, and while the early game against Astralis looked close, as the game went on Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer’s Akali took over the game. Team Heretics tried to break Vitality’s stride but the favorites’ early momentum was too much for them - and while Heretics took occasional fights, their melee-focused composition found itself countered hard against a Braum and Sejuani deathball.
- Play to win with the Roccat Burst Pro Gaming Mouse
KOI and Excel brawled hard from the early game but an early advantage by the summer champions proved decisive as the game went on as their carries plowed through XL’s defenses in the decisive fight. Finally, we got to see the ever hyped Fnatic vs G2 match, but this time it was decidedly one-sided - after three kills just four minutes into the game, two of them on Steven “Hans sama” Liv’s Draven, G2 completely took over the game for a dominant win.
Fnatic Salvage Week with Day 3 Victory vs KOI
SK Gaming finally got on the board on Monday, scoring a much-needed win against Team Heretics where despite a good showing by TH top laner Shunsuke "Evi" Murase, SK’s teamfighting and some TH mistakes decided the game. Excel followed suit with a difficult, but very important win against BDS, where despite their bottom lane struggling their dragon soul proved to be the key advantage. Astralis, meanwhile, had no such luck in their game against G2 Esports, as the summer finalists played and unexpected by very effective mid lane Zac that absolutely shut down the underdogs.
After a difficult early game where KOI shut down their top laner, Fnatic came close to a 0-3 starting week, but the veterans rallied well and played to their win conditions for a clutch win. The day ended with a fight between the yet-undefeated MAD Lions and Team Vitality, where Vit’s top and jungler proved to be a tier above their competition. While the game was not entirely flawless, it was still an impressive win that makes Vitality’s position as an elite team that much more secure and ensures they join G2 as the two undefeated teams of the week.
Read More about the LoL Pro Scene:
- Team Vitality Fined After Perkz Used Banned LoL Rune in LEC Match
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- LoL MSI 2023: Teams, Location & New Format
The LEC continues this Saturday, January 28th. Don’t miss it!