Rogue triumphed in the clash of the two undefeated teams, handing Fnatic their first loss. On the other end of the table, Astralis is still winless after their game with Team BDS.
After two weeks of play, two teams remained at the top with a flawless 5:0 record. Yet on Friday, Fnatic and Rogue clashed to determine who would be alone at the top. Would the expected superteam triumph or would Rogues teamwork prove to be stronger?
Will Astralis recover?
Despite both teams stuck at the bottom of the table, Team BDS looked to be a cut above in their game against Astralis. The newcomers got a big lead from very early on and kept up the pressure, with Jakub "Cinkrof" Rokicki's Diana accounting for six of the team’s kills in the first 20 minutes. Two skirmishes near the dragon pit resulted in an infernal soul for BDS and they never lost control of the game, securing the win some 31 minutes later.
Perfect Execution, Indeed
Excel Esports, now with Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle on support, took on MAD Lions in the second game. The Lions got an early kill and gold lead, but were unable to snowball their lead in the face of a better scaling opponent. Instead, it was XL that helped them with a series of poorly executed Baron attempts ending with a steal for Javier "Elyoya" Prades Batalla and, soon after, a hextech soul for MAD. The Spanish team almost threw in turn, though, going for a risky baron of their own and losing it. It all came down to a big Elder dragon fight where İrfan Berk "Armut" Tükek's on Akali got a clutch flank where he executed Erlend "nukeduck" Holm's fed Veigar, setting up an ace for his team that let them rush the enemy base and end.
Clean Win for Vitality
Team Vitality was again on point against SK Gaming. Luka "Perkz" Perković was once more the beneficiary of an early fight leaving him with a double buff, and soon Vitality were far ahead in gold. Twenty minutes in, they chased SK in their jungle and got a great teamfight, scoring an ace and getting the Baron. The German org had one last hurrah, getting a near ace when they were pushed to their Nexus. With their next attack, they smashed SK apart to win their third consecutive game.
Fnatic with First Loss This Season
The clash of the undefeated teams started firmly in Rogue’s favor as Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong’s Viego and Emil "Larssen" Larsson’s Twisted Fate got a lot of early kills. However, Fnatic’s lane control was strong and helped them keep the gold close. The game was on a knife’s edge until 24 minutes in, when Rogue got three kills and the Baron. Fnatic had no answer to this and were slowly pushed back, until Rogue overpowered them in their base and seized the win.
Nailbiter to End the Day
The day ended with a fight between G2 Esports and Misfits Gaming. The veteran team got first blood and were 3-1 just 5 minutes in, heavily focusing Shin "HiRit" Tae-min's Gwen top and eventually opening a lead.Just when it looked decided, G2 dropped the ball several times, letting Misfits get close even after they got an ocean drake. A clutch 4-2 from Misfits 29 minutes in gave them Elder and a Baron. In the next fight, they got two kills and nearly ended, only to get aced in the enemy base - and G2 ended the game before respawns came.
Read More:
- 2:0 Week for Vitality, Fnatic and Rogue in LEC
- Vitality Get First Win in the LEC
- Pentakills, Upsets & More at LCS Lock In
The LEC continues on Saturday, January 29 from 5 PM CET. Don't miss it!