Upsets All Around: LEC Winter Split Week 2, Day 1 and Day 2 Recap

League of Legends

30 Jan

Foo Zen-Wen

The LEC is the European League of Legends professional circuit, with a total of 10 teams competing across three split: Winter, Spring, and Summer. The top 8 teams at the end of each split will advance to the Group Stage. Four teams will advance to playoffs. Winner earns a spot to MSI 2023 and LEC Finals 2023. This is LEC Winter Week 2.

Day One Match Results

Team Vitality vs Astralis [1-0]

Vitality won their fourth game this split at 31:27 with a 1 kill advantage and 7.5k gold lead. Despite having a great start, especially for Astralis AD Carry Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup (who went 4/0/0 at the start), they were unable to convert it into a win in late game teamfights.

Strafe Player of the Series: VIT Photon

Fnatic vs BDS [0-1]

BDS secured their second win of the split at 38.10 against Fnatic. They ended with a 11k gold lead and 10 kill advantage. BDS Adam “Adam” Maanane led the charge with a stunning performance on the Olaf counterpick into Fnatic Martin “Wunder” Hansen’s K’Sante.

Strafe Player of the Series: BDS Adam (7/0/2)

Team Heretics vs KOI [1-0]

A long-fought battle, Heretics took it at 44:28 with a 8.8k gold lead. Despite first blood for KOI, a midlane gank followed by a botlane gank secured three reply kills for Heretics’ jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski. Final fight over Elder saw an odd engage for KOI without their jungler Kim “Malrang” Geun-seong saw the soul go over to Heretics.

Strafe Player of the Series: TH Jankos

SK Gaming vs G2 Esports [1-0]

SK secured the series at 34:37 with a 5k gold lead. Their top laner Joel “Irrelevant” Scharoll counter-picked Sion into Sergen “BrokeBlade” Çelik’s K’Sante. G2 overall had a shaky series with both traditional carries, Rasmus “Caps” Winther and Steven “Hans Sama” Liv having quiet games. The latter overall suffered with a 0/6/6 KD by the end, consistently picked off by SK.

Strafe Player of the Series: SK Irrelevant

MAD Lions vs Excel Esports [1-0]

A close early and midgame led to a win for MAD Lions at 25.33 with a 12.1k gold lead. An exceptional game played overall by MAD Lions who had a clean game. Despite the best efforts of Excel, their comp pick of Akali and Gwen was no match for the K’Sante of MAD Lions.

Strafe Player of the Series: MAD Nisqy

Day Two Match Results

BDS vs Astralis [1-0]

Domination was the name of the game for BDS as they took the series in 31:48 minutes, with a 14.1k gold lead. Despite the best efforts of Astralis to turn the tides of the game, the gold deficit remained insurmountable and BDS cleanly put them away.

Strafe Player of the Series: BDS nuc

Team Vitality vs SK Gaming [0-1]

If it works, run it back again. SK Gaming have a repeat performance as they take down another titan in Vitality in 31.01 minutes. With an 8.4k gold lead and stellar teamfighting from SK Gaming, it was a slow inevitable march to defeat for Vitality it seemed.

Strafe Player of the Series: SK Irrelevant

G2 Esports vs Team Heretics [1-0]

18:40. That’s how long it took G2 to put away Heretics with a blistering 13.7k gold lead to boot. A fantastic performance from Martin “Yike” Sundelin as well on the Bel’Veth aided the early game aggression for G2. A return performance for Steven “Hans Sama” Liv’s Draven saw a redemption after Day One’s performance.

Strafe Player of the Series: G2 Mikyx

Fnatic vs Excel Esports [1-0]

What began as another fantastic start for Excel faltered by the late game. Fnatic took the series at 35 minutes with a 1k gold lead. For most of the series, Fnatic fell behind, with a series of attempted plays that kept failing to pan out. However, a late game Baron steal by Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz gave Fnatic the final wind they needed to end.

Strafe Player of the Series: FNC Razork

KOI vs MAD Lions [0-1]

One of the closer games of the night, fantastic coordination for MAD Lions saw them secure their fourth win this split at 30:08 mins. MAD Lions ended the game with a thundering 11.8k gold lead against KOI. Of especial note was the power duo of the botlane, Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság and Zdravets “Hylissang” Iliev Galabov, who enabled many of the engages and plays MAD Lions pulled off.