LEC Superweek: The biggest narratives for the six remaining contenders

The LEC Spring Regular Season 2021 is coming to a close. We are already seven weeks through the event, with the final week right upon us. The final  LEC Superweek features three games for every team, with potential tiebreakers still to come. As it stands, the regular split’s mains aim is to qualify for the Playoffs, with the eventual aim to earn a spot at his year’s MSI.

To get there, six teams are vying for the final three spaces in the Playoffs. Fnatic, SK Gaming, Schalke, Misfits, EXCEL and Vitality are still looking for a spot.  Lets take a look at the stories for each of the teams heading into the LEC Superweek.

The second most prestigious European league team and longest-serving team in the region are currently just shy of playoffs. As of Week 7, Fnatic lost their battle with MAD Lions, meaning they could not take the third playoff seed. All it takes for the team to qualify is to win one game. 

So far this split, they have had some crazy matches, with the likes of EXCEL pushing them to the brink and Vitality cracking open their base. The point’s relevancy is that the teams they are up against can repeat those shocking moments. Misfits are the first opponent, who is only just tailing behind them. They have grown a lot over the last few weeks, meaning they could play upset to their dream. Follow this up with Rogue on Saturday and giant-killers Schalke on Sunday, and there is a potential that Fnatic’s LEC Superweek run goes down the drain in an unlikely fashion.

It is possible to see Fnatic dropout, but is it realistic? Arguably not. Fnatic is a strong team and will need a series of chokes to miss out on Playoffs.

SK Gaming is one of the hottest teams heading into the LEC Superweek. Image via Riot Games.

 

The squad of rookies are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. It certainly took them a while to grow, but now Spring is here; they are blooming like Daffodils in an English meadow. Four of its members are considered rookies, and three of them are up for consideration for the LEC Rookie of the Split, demonstrating how good this fresh roster is.

On a record of 8-7, it appears likely that SK Gaming will make it to the playoffs. But they have one final hurdle upon them, G2 Esports and Rogue. With the two best teams in the league left to go, SK’s dreams could shatter. The saving grace for SK is they still have Astralis left to play, the weakest team in the league. Will Astralis play sabotage, or will they send SK to the stars instead?

The former miracle run hype train and giant-killers have fallen flat in the second half of the split. The roster was looking incredible, with the LEC posing the question of them being among the best in Europe after they beat Rogue and G2 back-to-back. However, the roster has only won one game in the second half of the split, beating Astralis after a seven-game losing streak. This has cost the roster big time, as they are now the third most realistic team to qualify for the Playoffs.

With the context established, Schalke has a bit of a worrying week ahead. With them losing to teams above and around them, there are no guarantees they’ll make it. They have to face EXCEL, a team in a similar troubled spot as them, a Vitality riding momentum and Fnatic at the end of it all. Schalke may collapse under their own feet in the LEC Superweek.

After a few weeks of ramping up, do Misfits have what it takes when it counts the most? Image via Riot Games.

 

It has been a long split for Misfits. The roster started 2-1 in the first week of the split but fell off a cliff since then. Only in Week 6 did Misfits look alive, gaining some good wins against similarly skilled teams. Perhaps the solo lane rookies have found their footing in the game, helping them stand up and fight back. 

The question is, though, is it good enough for them to make it to the Playoffs? Misfits have Fnatic, MAD Lions, and Vitality still to come. MAD Lions and Fnatic are a tough battle as it is, and they need to beat them. Misfits can make it with an 8-9 record but need to ideally beat both of them, especially Fnatic, who are competing for a spot in the Playoffs. As it stands, Misfits owns the head-to-head against Fnatic after their week 1 win, so it is a huge advantage if they can repeat success. But lurking behind them is Vitality. Vitality owns the head-to-head already and is looking better as it is. Misfits have quite the weak ahead of them.

For a team that was almost third in the LEC at one point this split, the team has lost seven games in a row. The most difficult part about this is they lost most of their games to teams around them. Now only giants remain. G2 Esports, Rogue and, Schalke are the three teams they have left to beat. With their current 5-10 win-loss record, they need to win all three games and pray for some disasters to strike lucky in the LEC Superweek. It is doubtful they will make it, but if they can crack either G2 or Rogue, there is some good promise for them in the Summer.

For a team that looked completely dead at the start of the split, Vitality is now in session. The recent signing of Juš “Crownshot” Marušič brings some experienced leadership while increasing the team’s potential. With that in place, they have won several games recently, showing the European league that something is clicking.

The most exciting part about this run is they have a great weak ahead of themselves. Misfits, Schalke, and Astralis are its opposition in the LEC Superweek. Given their new trajectory, the roster has a solid shot of winning all three games. Vitality still needs a bit of luck with other teams losing to make it to the playoffs. Overall, this miracle run is alive, and as we saw last year, miracles do happen to European teams.

The LEC Superweek kicks off at 18:00 CET on March 12. You can watch the event through a variety of streaming platforms, including Riot Game’s LoL Esports.