Heartbreaks and hopes in LEC Summer week three

It's been an interesting week in the LEC, as the regular season came to an end and we had to say goodbye to two teams. The pressure was on as teams fought to take their destiny into their own hands, looking for the opportunity to fight for a high placement in best of three series and aim for a spot in the season finals.

Can Fnatic find their form?

Some rosters rose and others fell this weekend, Fnatic teetering on the edge of the latter category. By no means is the team performing poorly, and comparatively to prior splits this year they have a lot to be proud of. That being said, this week was an opportunity to prove their newfound dominance, and show a consistent style - something they failed to do. In fact, this week was likely Fnatic's worst of their three regular season showings, which could trouble their momentum going into groups.

Whilst the entire team had great mechanical showings over the weekend, particularly Razork's Viego (D1G4), they aren't firing on all cylinders. In their first game against BDS, Fnatic pumped three kills into an out-of-the-game Olaf, piloted by Adam, which allowed their competition to convert into a Baron pick. A Baron steal and two Elder Dragons against them later, Fnatic managed to scrape a victory from a defeat that they had manufactured.

Their match against Team Heretics (D2G3) was a decent showing against a team who look strong, but in key moments Fnatic push too far, play too scrappily, and get picked off. Players of Jankos and Vetheo's calibre are the minimum level this roster should be aiming to compete with, and if they make it to the World Championships these mistakes will be punished much more severely.

Fnatic's loss against SK was a disappointing end to the week and the regular season for the side. It was close into the mid game, with SK having advantages around the top side of the map, both mid laners performing well, and Fnatic having the bot lane advantage. This came crumbling down as SK snuck a Baron away from Fnatic, and executed their front to back draft well to take the win.

The team's key weakness boils down to poor play around objectives. This is an aggressive, mechanically dominant team that likes to fight for the sake of fighting, using number advantages to secure neutrals instead of good planning. This is something they will need to work on sooner or later, as they will get figured out, and they will lose when teams stop playing into their traps.

I do see some hope for the side, however. Locking second in the regular season allowed Fnatic to select their first opponent for the group stage, choosing between MAD Lions and SK. Despite a comical moment of Razork trying to pick XL, Fnatic chose to take on SK in a revenge match rather than the (5 loss streak and counting) MAD Lions. With three of four deaths for Noah this weekend coming against this SK roster, some of the pressure may be off, and the team can focus on revenge in dominant fashion. It's a bold statement, and we'll have to wait and see if it works out.

SK's core comes to life

Looking back to the turning point for SK Gaming in the LEC, Markoon and Sertuss herald the beginning of the team's new era. Yet to reach the highest heights, this is an organisation that nevertheless means business. Picking up the tried and tested bot duo of Exakick and Doss from 2022's dominant LDLC OL roster, they have found a decent amount of success in both prior splits, although struggled a little in Summer as their rookies are focused and punished.

Irrelevant has been anything but. Certainly going under the radar, SK's top laner has been a stalwart addition, able to gracefully lose lane on the weak side and take over with only a little attention from Markoon. Discounting their loss to Astralis (D1G1) this weekend, which I personally think is largely due to their choice to pivot Poppy into the jungle when it would've been a preferable matchup into Renekton, he has provided an excellent base for the rest of the team to shine.

SK mainstays Markoon and Sertuss finally stepped up as a duo to lead the team to the group stage. In their games against MAD Lions and Fnatic, both players went deathless, working as a deadly duo to secure advantages in the early game and enable brilliant, front to back team fighting in the mid-late game. With KDAs of 11/0/21 and 13/0/17 for Markoon and Sertuss respectively in these games, this is a pair to watch in the group stage.

KOI go Rogue when it counts

KOI had an interesting weekend, locking themselves into the group stage despite some initial stumbles. Things didn't look good for the roster as they scraped a win from a faltering Vitality side who looked their superior for the entirety of the game (D1G2). Seemingly dead and buried were the days of Rogue as KOI were unable to execute their predecessors' signature style of lane dominance and macro choke holding against an in-form G2 (D2G2), who ran them over.

Into a crucial final game against Astralis (D3G3), things didn't look hopeful for KOI, who seemed a shadow of the success these players are capable of. Something seems to have clicked behind the scenes, however, as KOI returned to form, winning their lanes, playing steady in the mid game and looking impeccable in late game team fights - perhaps the first truly dominant showing from this roster in Summer. Larssen broke 1000 LEC kills as he went 6/1/11 on a Neeko pick that, paired with Comp's 10/0/9 Sivir, looked unstoppable. Mass CC and lighting fast engages enabled widespread damage from the ADC's ricochets, and KOI seem to have got their style sorted for groups.

XL lock in third place

I don't have much to say about this roster that I haven't in previous weeks, but I remain pleasantly surprised with Excel's performance. Having clearly found their style, Excel managed to bounce back from two tragic splits and lock third place in the regular season. Odoamne deserves a special shoutout for the diversity displayed in his performances against Astralis (D2G1) and Team Vitality (D3G1).

Despite both teams being our weakest this split, it remains fair to say that both Finn and Photon have been standout top laners, and are no pushovers to face. Playing Sion into Finn with extremely minimal losses, and carrying on Kennen against Photon, Odoamne seems to be finding his footing with the roster and showcasing the variable, high-level performances that made him such a threat on Rogue and throughout his extensive career. I am excited to see how this team shapes up in the best of three series on a new patch.

Let's do the Time Warp

We'll be taking a break from the LEC next week, but upon the league's return we will have shot forwards two patches, and inevitably this will have some ripple effects on the meta. Statikk Shiv will be nerfed, and it's likely Kraken Slayer will rise up in its place. Ivern and Rell will be enabled, and could shake up some bot lane and jungle matchups. Rell in particular could be a powerful pick for teams such as Excel and MAD Lions who have proficient engage support players.

In preparation, it seems as if our big three may already be on their way out. K'Sante was absent from four pick/bans this week, leading to a 73% representation, and finding minimal success when picked. Many teams either have counter matchups prepared, or simply don't seem scared of the pick any more, so it could fall further into groups.

Yuumi was picked five times over the weekend, and despite some strong showings didn't look like the free win lock-in it was supposed to be. Blitzcrank has emerged as a strong counter pick to the cat, with hooks able to rake in a two-for-one deal under tower when the book-riding feline is attached to a teammate.

Milio was picked six times over the weekend, likely as teams attempted to test counter matchups ready for the group stage, or let it through on blue side to utilise its strength in lane and team fights. This is a pick I don't suspect will be going anywhere, with a record of 5W1L in week three. Skirmish-heavy engage support picks such as Nautilus, Braum, and Pyke were tested as lane counters - and for the most part seem promising - but lack the amount of utility Milio offers into the mid-late game.

Which picks could rise in priority?

Starting off with support picks, it seems likely that tanky engage supports such as Rell, Nautilus, and Blitzcrank will continue to be solid choices. Able to trade well in lane, roam for picks, and lay down CC in team fights, they are useful in all stages of the game and can turn games around. Braum has an excellent matchup into many engage supports, able to take CC in the stead of allies, and leave these immobile champions stranded after an engage, making them easy prey for re-engages, and so it is highly likely Braum will become a key pick to watch.

Gragas is, and I think will remain, a solid flex pick. Able to be played in the top lane, jungle, and even in the mid lane, Gragas could be flexed into the support role if the support meta becomes more engage-heavy, with excellent disengage tools in his Body Slam and Explosive Cask abilities. Xayah could grow to be an even more prevalent pick for similar reasons. Able to self-peel with Featherstorm, and with Rakan on the fringes of meta relevancy, it could even become the premiere ADC pick.

Azir has emerged as a premiere mid lane pick, able to be a huge magic damage source pairing with attack damage carries and provide a key pressure point away from the bot lane that cannot be ignored. Alternatively, Tristana has risen in priority as a double-up attack damage pick, and also as a flex into the bot lane. Particularly when drafted alongside Milio, this pick has an obnoxious range and a lot of damage on auto attacks.

Finally, Poppy. I cannot overstate how good this pick is, and how much better I think it is likely to become. Poppy provides a strength in and out of the rift that few other champions do, being a pick that can impact how the opposition drafts. Flexible in the top lane and jungle, ludicrously good at frontlining and zoning, and able to shut down any dashes, I find it highly unlikely that this pick is going anywhere.

Saying Goodbyes

Now for farewells. Astralis and Team Vitality fought hard this weekend, but failed to qualify for the group stage, finishing in ninth and tenth place respectively - a result both teams will be extremely disappointed with. Astralis showcased some great highs in Summer, but I think in their case - as the saying goes - too many cooks spoil the broth.

Astralis are a team that loves to draft strangely, loves to be creative, loves to teamfight and skirmish. This meta does not allow them to do that. With tanks, utility mages, and enchanter supports dominating, Astralis were at a stylistic disadvantage from week one and were unable to adapt. One controversial pick per game tends to work, throwing off the opposition and being a strength for the roster to rally around, but two or even three off-meta picks per game just leads to a weaker composition overall, and some difficult games.

As for Team Vitality, there's a lot of work to do. No hate to Daglas, he was arguably the best-performing member of VIT this week, but I think it was simply the wrong time to sub him in. Bringing in a young LEC newcomer at a crucial juncture for the team simply doesn't seem like the correct decision. Practice and cohesion with teammates must have been minimal, and the pressure must have been enormous. Vitality has excellent mechanical pieces - all of their players have the potential to be the best in their role, but they have no cohesive style. For instance, Bo is a carry jungler and Upset is a carry bot laner - the rest of the team are more flexible and should be playing around these two pressure points. Vitality cannot possibly expect to win in every single matchup, and funnel resources to every single player, and so must take a long look, talk, and choose how they wish to develop as a team and who they wish to put their trust in. They may still make it to the season finals, and if they do I sincerely hope their exceptionally talented five-man roster has become a team.

LEC Summer Regular Season Final Standings:

LEC Groups Bracket: