Standing Eight: LEC Summer Split 2023 Group Stage Tournament Preview

The LEC Summer Split Regular Season 2023 has now concluded, with the top 8 teams having now progressed on to the Group Stage. As with every previous season, the bottom 2 teams have been eliminated for the season, that being Vitality and Astralis this time around. Without further ado, here are the top 8 teams to have made it to on to the Group Stage:

• G2 Esports
• Fnatic
• Excel
• Team Heretics
• Team BDS
• SK Gaming
• MAD Lions
• KOI

The Group Stage is set to begin on the 15th of July and will run until the 23rd of July. The LEC held a Group Draw show with the conclusion of the final round of regular season matches.

Biggest Twists of the Season So Far

Team BDS and Astralis hitting the bottom after finishing 1st and 2nd place last season was a massive shocker for some. Just when it seemed both teams were finally hitting their stride, they both faltered despite making no roster changes. As mentioned, Astralis has now been eliminated from Groups and Playoffs contention. Meanwhile, BDS has fallen to somewhere in the middle of the pack after their historic run to the Spring Playoffs finals, narrowly losing to MAD Lions.

Speaking of them, MAD Lions has fallen into massive disarray. Following their LEC Spring season Playoffs win, the team performed poorly in the Mid-Season Invitational and bombed out in 7th-8th place. Now they’ve finished 7th place in the Summer season, with Worlds fast approaching.

Fnatic have perhaps had the most incredible comeback. From struggling for relevance in Winter, to paddling just above water in Spring, to now dominating Summer, it seems Fnatic is on a comeback arc after replacing their AD Carry and Support. Rookie Oh “Noah” Hyeon-taek swiftly turned heads after being picked up from the European Regional Leagues (ERL) [Tier 2 League of Legends] and instantly dominating the LEC with his AD Carry performances. Similarly, Adrian “Trymbi” Trybus has gained a lot of acclaim this year for his incredible Support performances and has really contributed to a massive improvement in Fnatic’s bot lane.

LEC Summer Groups Format

The 8 teams have been separated across 2 groups in a double-elimination Bo3 format. The surviving 2 teams from each group will meet back up in the final stage, Playoffs, for a chance at the LEC Championship trophy.

Group A:

• G2 vs KOI [15th July | 1700 GMT]
• Team Heretics vs Team BDS [15th July | 2000 GMT]

Group B:

• Fnatic vs SK Gaming [16th July | 1700 GMT]
• Excel vs MAD Lions 16th July | 2000 GMT]

Favoured Victors

G2’s run of decent form during the LEC season, climaxing as the top seed coming into Groups, puts them ahead of KOI in this first series of theirs. However, the same cannot be said for Heretics, who despite their recent run of good form, it’s hard to discount BDS, who have shown a level of consistency in their team coordination during the big series and across the board, has a more stable roster.

Meanwhile in Group B, we have a newly reborn Fnatic against a weakened SK Gaming. It’s difficult to see a world in which Fnatic loses this first series. The last one is likely the closest, with both Excel and MAD seeing a decline in form from the previous season. However, MAD is likely to take the series, with Excel having recently made roster changes.

The LEC Summer Groups 2023 is set to begin on the 15th of July. Catch all the latest League of Legends news on Strafe Esports.

Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games