The LEC 2023 Spring Split is on the horizon and G2 Esports will have to defend their new title. Team Vitality and KOI are the teams we expect to challenge for it - but once more, G2 may be a tough final boss to beat.
The Winter Split has been a rollercoaster of emotions for LEC fans, who saw favorites fall and new challengers rise up in a flurry of high-stakes games. In the end, two of the favorites lay defeated at the bottom of the table, a lot of teams we expected to be the punching bags rose up, and G2 Esports added a tenth title to their collection. With the spring split starting this weekend and following a similar format, we are likely heading for more of the same. So what do we expect to see this time?
Bottom Tier
10. Fnatic
9. Team Heretics
8. Excel Esports
7. Astralis
How time flies - last time we expected Fnatic and Excel Esports to be title contenders of the pack, but those two teams crashed and burned in a truly magnificent fashion. Fnatic arguably got the worst of it, with rumors of drama, the loss of Elias "Upset" Lipp and the departure of Martin "Wunder" Nordahl Hansen making us doubt the team would be in time to right the ship in time for the round robin stage. Excel ended the split in last place, but we are inclined to think they might do a better job. In between them is a Team Heretics that started well but showed too many weaknesses as the winter season went on. Finally, Astralis showed a flash of brilliance in the end of the winter season and in the groups, but we don’t think they can maintain it in spring.
- Dominate the Rift with the HP Omen Vector
Middle of the Pack
6. Team BDS
5. SK Gaming
4. MAD Lions
Team BDS could be very swingy in the winter season, alternatively amazing and an utter wreck. Still, on the whole we think that this is a team that can serve a clutch upset and should not be underestimated. With SK Gaming, meanwhile, their very strong best of one game and good best of three series make us think this team can continue being dangerous in the first part of the season but is not likely to advance too far in the playoff. As for MAD Lions - while it may seem risky to put a finalist out of the top 3, but we think that while MAD is a good team, it doesn’t have the kind of ceiling that teams will be able to explore by the spring playoffs and is unlikely to repeat their winter run.
Title Contenders
3. KOI
2. Team Vitality
1. G2 Esports
Talking about unpredictable - while KOI lost its iconic top laner Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu, its group run still showed that it is a dangerous team when in form and we think that in the spring, their extra time to prepare will let them do better. Meanwhile, Team Vitality - a team that already impressed us during the Bo1 stage in the winter, made a significant upgrade to their bot lane and, with Elias "Upset" Lipp, has all the tools to challenge for a crown and a MSI spot. Still, after their winter domination, it’s hard to put any team other than G2 on top. The champions showed that they have firepower in all lanes and with the main unknown - Martin "Yike" Sundelin - performing as well as he did in his debut split, we think the team can only grow.
Read More:
- G2 Stop MAD Lions Rampage in LEC Playoff Week
- LEC Playoffs MVP: MAD Elyoya
- KOI and G2 Ace the LEC Winter Groups
The LEC Spring Split kicks off on Saturday, January 11th, with Fnatic and Excel kicking off the day from 18:00 CET. Don´t miss it!