The second half of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) season is almost here, and that means an opportunity for teams to change their player line-up, renew their strategies, and give it their best shot for a chance to qualify for the Summer Playoffs and eventually the World Championship (Worlds).
With the 2020 Summer Split starting on June 12, here’s how we expect things to play out.
1. G2 Esports
Deemed as the “New Kings” of the LEC by a multitude of fans, G2 Esports still remain on top of the rankings.
In addition to their stellar performance during the 2020 Spring Playoffs, G2 looks stronger with Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther back on the mid-lane and Luka “Perkz” Perković returning to the bot lane.
This swap will surely make G2 an even tougher team to beat for the next season now that Caps and Perkz are back to their original roles where they shine the most.
2. Fnatic
Fnatic were right behind G2 when it came down to last season’s Split rankings, and despite losing 0-3 to G2 in the Spring Final, Fnatic is still G2’s closest competitor.
Martin “Rekkles” Larsson remains one of the best players in the LEC, and has the stats to back it up.
However, the team has to watch out for missteps from Oskar “Selfmade” Boderek and Zdravets “Hylissang” Iliev Galabov who have the most deaths recorded in a single match.
Top-laner Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau admittedly also had his shortcomings evident during the Playoffs.
Will the “old kings” finally be able to reclaim their throne?
3. Origen
Despite falling short to G2 Esports in the Spring Playoffs losers bracket round 3, there’s no denying that Origen were always in the mix during the regular season. Fans should watch out for the team’s bot-laner Elias “Upset” Lipp, who dealt the most damage per minute in a single match using Tristana.
They may have finished the first half of the season in 4th place, but statistics show Origen has put up top performance in a lot of different criteria.
4. MAD Lions
The underdogs of the Split, MAD Lions upset G2 Esports in the first round of the Spring Playoffs, proving that G2 can indeed be beaten.
Their jungler Zhiqiang “Shad0w” Zhao has impressed everyone with out-of-this-world plays like this one.
Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság’s noticeable aggressive playstyle in the bot lane is also something that will surely spice up the LEC stage once again.
5. Misfits Gaming
Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup’s enlistment as Misfits Gaming’s newest bot-laner spells serious trouble for the other teams of the LEC. As a veteran and consistent player, his addition to MSF will greatly help in the team’s goal of qualifying for this year’s World Championship.
The rest of MSF’s roster is already solid, and now it’s up to Kobbe and support players Petr “denyk” Haramach and Mads “Doss” Schwartz to show off their synergy and bring a refreshing change to Misfits’ Summer Split performance.
We’re quite excited to see what the Danish duo has in store for us!
- Watch the play Drakos called ‘the best Aphelios performance I have ever seen’
- LEC 2020 Summer will return to live production at its Berlin studio
6. Rogue
Rogue is jumping on to the second half of the season with the same roster from the Spring Split. They’ve shown some amazing plays throughout the Split, which earned them a spot at the Playoffs.
The team is known for their beautiful combos executed near the dragon and Baron Nashor pits.
We’re looking for more impressive feats from mid-laner Emil “Larssen” Larsson, who used Qiyana to get the most solo kills in a game according to the LEC.
7. Excel Esports
Ousting its South Korean players from the roster, Excel Esports now has full European players for its main line-up. They’ve acquired two Academy players Felix “Kryze” Hellström and Joran “Special” Scheffer to play in the upcoming Summer Split.
Despite being a rookie, Kryze’s debut in the LEC is something to look out for because of his diverse champion pool which may be quite a problem for other teams.
8. Schalke 04
They may have experienced a minor setback after their initial ADC Konstantinos-Napoleon “Forg1ven” Tzortziou stepped down in the middle of the Split, but the team has become slightly better ever since. Nihat “Innaxe” Aliev’s entrance to Schalke 04 has definitely made a positive contribution, earning their very first win of the season against the undefeated G2.
However, they still have a long way to go in terms of synergy and strategy.
9. SK Gaming
SK Gaming were a disappointment all throughout Spring Split and we don’t see that changing anytime soon. They finished 4-14 and were on the receiving end of two of the three highest damage/min games in the Spring Split.
However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel in EU Masters 2019 Summer champion Dirk “ZaZee” Mallner. If he can get his hands on Orianna, he currently has a 100% win rate in the 2020 Prime League Spring.
10. Team Vitality
To make up for its disappointing ranking in the Spring Split, Team Vitality has decided to completely overhaul its League of Legends team from the players right down to the staff and coaches. Fans will finally get to see Aljoša “Milica” Kovandžić in action, hailing from the second-tier European Regional Leagues (ERLs).
The revamped roster should be an improvement over last season’s 2-16 standing, but until Vitality proves it, they remain at the bottom of our power rankings.
READ MORE: Dates and schedule announced for LEC Summer Split
